The Heroes Afterward (Updated)
by RobynRosalie245
Summary: Robin Hood goes to StoryBrooke after receiving an old backpack filled with mysterious items. In StoryBrooke Robin discovers the truth about the small town, and how her family is tied to the magic in it. Working with Neal and Henry, Robin fights against the town's mayor to try and save her family, realizing just how evil the Black Fairy is.
1. Summary

Somehow, Robin didn't feel very brave carrying a wand in her hand. A car drove by on the road as Robin walked. She was walking down the main street of Storybrooke, looking at the wand. It was made of two pieces that must have been glued together, the rough bark sticking out in her head. Robin had expected a wand that was like Harry Potter's, something cool looking. This wand looked like a piece of scrap bark that ended up in the camp fire's at Neal's cottage in the summer.

Throwing the wand into her backpack, Robin looked at the time on her phone. It was almost ten o'clock, why wasn't she home yet? Something about what Mr. Gold had been telling her was bugging Robyn. Scratch that. Everything was bugging Robin. She was in a strange town with her best friend, walking down the main street at night with nothing but an old stick to protect her.

Stopping in front of Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop, Robin looked at her reflection in the mirror. Would she be able to find her parents here? Would they want to be found? As Robin stared at her reflection, she noticed the swan on her token. She didn't even know if the necklace really belonged to her.

"It's a bit cold to be wandering around outside, Robin." Robin noticed someone behind her in the window. Turning around, Robin looked at Mayor Fiona. The mayor was eying Robin's backpack, and Robin could swear she felt something move inside it.

"It still feels like late summer." Robin answered back, not moving away from the window. She didn't feel like moving any closer to the mayor. Something felt wrong. It was different from when she had first met the mayor a few days ago.

The mayor gave Robin a smile, but it didn't seem genuine. The mayor had a forced demeanor, as if she was trying to remain patient. Robin wondered how long it would take before her patience would disappear.

"I can give you a ride home, Robin." Fiona offered. "I don't want to leave a young girl alone at night."

Robin started to feel uncomfortable. She remembered what Wyatt and Janice had been teaching her about safety, since her guardians hadn't bothered to brush Robin up on the subject. Wyatt and Janice had warned Robin not to go into someone's vehicle that she didn't trust. Robin had no reason to trust Fiona. The mayor hadn't made it obvious that she could be trusted, and all Robin had to do was ask how Henry felt about his adoptive mother to get a firm answer.

"That's alright, mayor Fiona." Robin dismissed, now starting to walk down the street.

"I'll be home soon. Goodnight." Robin wondered if she should have turned away from the mayor. Wyatt and Janice had warned Robin of something else along those lines, which were probably that she shouldn't turn away too quickly. In the midst of the moment Robin had forgot.

Robin could hear the mayor sigh and suddenly felt herself lifted off her feet. She fell onto her back and was looking up at the night sky. The moon was a crescent shape that evening, bright in the sky. Fiona stepped forward and knelt above Robin.

"Trust me dearie, I insist."


	2. Prologue

_Prologue_

_StoryBrooke, two years after the Black Fairy had been defeated._

Zelena had been nervous to talk to Regina about Robin. However, things were changing quickly, and Zelena didn't know what to do. The red-haired witch rolled her eyes as her pride was fighting against needing her sister's assistance, but Zelena didn't know what else to do.

Walking up to her sister's office, Zelena knocked on the mayor's door. Sorry, the Queen's door. The dwarves had changed what was written on the door to represent Regina's time in the Enchanted Forest.

"Considering how much damage she had caused, it's kind of surprising that people want to remember that." Zelena said to her daughter. Robin was on the brink of turning two-years old. She didn't consider the change on the door a big issue, only wanting to see the person inside.

Regina Mills, mayor of StoryBrooke, opened the door to her office. Robin immediately leaned into her aunt as the mayor wrapped her arms around her niece.

"Hi sweet pea." Regina responded to the embrace. Only Regina was allowed to call Robin sweet pea.

It was the toddler's favourite colour, which only reminded Regina of the girl's father. A small flicker of sadness hurt Regina's heart, but Robin melted it quickly with her small hug.

Walking back to her desk, Regina gave her older sister a quizzical look.

"What's with the afternoon visit?" Regina asked solemnly. She knew how sensitive Zelena was. Robin quickly reached for one of the big red apples on the desk and started munching away. Regina smiled, knowing how her niece preferred red juicy apples like herself. Great minds think alike.

"Well, it's about Robin." Zelena admitted, pulling up a chair. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Zelena, I don't know why you are stressing so much about this! Robin's birthday is this weekend, and we have gone over everything that a two-year old might need-"

"No, not that!" Zelena exclaimed. "It's something else."

Though the conversation was about her, Regina didn't think Robyn needed to hear what her mother had to say. Putting her on the floor, Regina watched Robin toddle off behind her mother's chair, most likely looking for the small toys Regina had in her office for her favourite niece.

"What's wrong?" Regina asked. Immediately, she was scared that Robyn was sick. Zelena was nervous about going into the town's hospital for some reason. It could have been because mere moments after Robin had been born there the Dark Swan had kidnapped her from her bed. It was Regina who ended up taking Robyn to daily appointments and checkups. Henry would usually tag along to help distract Robin with a good story.

"Please don't tell me she's sick." Regina practically begged. Zelena shook her head, either telling Regina that Robin wasn't sick, or that the sickness Robin had was too much.

"No, she isn't sick. Regina, Robin's started to…" A small gleeful noise interrupted the worried mother. Looking past Zelena, Regina noticed that Robin was looking at something on the ground. Confused, Regina stood up, and immediately understood why Zelena was worried.

"This is new."

* * *

Henry Mills was the average sixteen-year old. He went to school, hung out with his friends, and played video games in his spare time. Also, he was the truest believer, the author of a book of fairy tales which

were actually true, and was the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming. He had been taken to Neverland, helped rescue Captain Hook from the Underworld, and had stood up to the Black Fairy, who was his great-grandmother. But other than a few things Henry was a normal kid.

Sitting in the town's sheriff office, Henry wondered if there was a magical solution to the math problems he had in front of him. He had a test the next day, and no matter what he tried he could not figure out the formula.

"Are you sure you didn't need math when you travelled on the open seas?" Henry asked his stepfather, the captain of the late Jolly Roger. Captain Hook looked down at the numbers Henry was working with.

"I'm afraid not. When I was fighting against other pirates, I wasn't worrying about math." Captain Hook looked over at his wife, who was looking over a few papers on her desk.

"Why don't you ask your mother, I'm sure she'll have an answer." Captain Hook suggested. Emma gave him a dark look. Of all the enemies she had faced in her life, math was one that Emma had yet to conquer.

"Sorry kid, I'm no good at math. Mary Margaret will be here soon, so you can ask her."

Henry rolled his eyes. He had promised that he would spend the night with Emma and Hook, but he was regretting his decision. Regina, his adoptive mother, was brilliant at math and would be able to help him.

Taking a moment to give his hurting brain a break, Henry looked outside at the main street of StoryBrooke. It was gloomy outside, looking like it was about to rain. However, something made Henry nervous. Something did not seem right.

However, before Henry could voice his concerns, he heard his grandparents come into the station. David and Mary Margaret, who preferred to be called Snow White, carried their toddler Neal into the office. Neal wriggled out of his mother's arms and raced at Emma, who swooped down and placed a kiss on her little brother's head.

"Hey kid." She greeted. Neal gave her a cheeky smile and wriggled out of her arms, tackling Henry next. Finally, Captain Hook was at the mercy of the two-year old, dramatically acting as if he had been stabbed by the famous pirate Blackbeard. Lying on the ground with his tongue sticking out, Hook smiled at Neal, who's large green eyes gave his brother-in-law a mysterious look. David patted his son's blonde hair as he helped the captain to his feet.

"I see you've lost your touch old man, being bested by a two-year old." David teased. Hook rolled his eyes as Neal ran around the office.

As Snow White placed a kiss on her grandson's head, she noticed the mistakes Henry had made in the math problems.

"Henry, you made a few mistakes in this equation." She noted. Without asking if he needed help, she quickly explained the proper formula, and Henry smacked his hand against his head. It was so simple!

Smiling, Snow looked up and noticed the gloomy weather outside. Her smile faded, and she leaned near Henry. Everyone else presumed that she was helping him with another problem.

"Did you notice the interesting weather?" She asked her grandson, knowing how observant he was. Henry nodded, looking at the equations that he could complete so quickly after a few guiding tips.

"It's bad. It hasn't looked like this for two years." Henry admitted. After the Black Fairy had been defeated, Henry had been keeping an eye out for any of the weather changes that could take place in the small, magical town. However, nothing had stuck out.

"We'll keep an eye on it." Snow promised. She didn't want to worry Emma, who had been feeling pretty comfortable with the lack of danger in the town. But she also didn't want Henry to worry either. He had a big test tomorrow.

* * *

Regina saw a small glow of blue magic in Robin's palm as she noticed the glowing apple on the ground. Suddenly, the glow of magic changed to green. A moment later, back to blue. Robin looked at the apple as magic swam around it. Regina gave Zelena a shocked look.

"She can use magic?" Regina asked. She had never seen someone so small be able to use magic before.

"Apparently I had been a baby when I started using magic." Zelena excused. However, she still looked worried.

"I didn't know what to think. I didn't know if there was anything I should be worried about." Zelena admitted. She turned away from her family and glanced out the window, suddenly noticing the weather.

Regina picked Robin up, her hand still glowing slightly.

"I think we should talk to the Blue Fairy about this." Regina suggested. But Zelena's attention was now on the weather. "Zelena, she could have an answer."

Zelena slowly nodded, not really focusing on what she was agreeing to. If she had been more aware, she would have refused the idea.

As they left the office, Regina thought about her family's history with magic. Cora had been able to use magic, taught by Rumpelstiltskin. Zelena and Regina could both use magic, and both of them were taught by Rumpelstiltskin. Although for Zelena, it was really just to enhance her skills. It made sense that Robin would be able to use magic one day. It was just a surprise as to why she started using magic at such a young age. Zelena may have been able to use it as a baby, but Oz was a very interesting realm. Magic was a little different there, so her magic came a lot earlier. But why did Robin's come so soon?

As the two women drove to see Blue, Regina decided that Emma should be posted. The sheriff of the town should be aware that there was a new magic user, one who was still learning how to talk.

Going into the office, Robin wriggled out of Regina's arms and ran at Emma. Just as she had with Neal, Emma scooped Robin into her arms and cuddled the little girl. Emma hadn't told Hook, but she had hoped that if they were going to have kids, she really wanted a little girl. Robin then went over to Snow White.

"Emma, we need to talk to you about something." Regina admitted. Henry and Snow looked over at the mayor with a worried expression.

"Are you thinking about the weather as well?" Henry asked. Regina gave her son a confused look.

"No, what's wrong with the weather?" Regina had been too preoccupied about her niece. She suddenly had a good look at the weather outside, and something was clicking in her mind.

"What did you want to tell me?" Emma asked. Regina shook her head and looked at the sheriff.

"Zelena and I need to talk to Blue and we want you to watch Robin." Zelena was about to protest, but Regina stopped her with one of her looks. Snow White caught the look as well, and looked over at her daughter.

"You know what, we'll go with Regina and Zelena, and maybe you can watch Neal?" Snow asked. David gave his wife a confused look but didn't ask questions. He gave Neal a quick kiss on the head.

"This seems really rushed, but have a good visit." Emma said. She watched the four adults leave quickly, and looked at Henry.

* * *

"Why are you worried about the weather, kid?" She asked, placing the backpack Zelena had given her for Robin on the ground. She hadn't noticed that Robin had wandered over to her desk and was looking inside the drawers.

"You haven't noticed it?" Henry asked. Emma shook her head, hearing a noise behind her. She saw Robin holding a chain with a small token on it.

"Bird." Robin said, looking at the swan on the small token. It was the key chain that Neal had stolen from a gas station seventeen years before. Emma smiled as she knelt beside Robin, who was sitting on her office chair.

"That was given to me by Neal, Henry's dad." Emma explained. She was surprised with how gentle Robin was with the necklace.

"Neal." Robin said slowly. Emma's little brother looked up from where he had been sitting, hearing his name.

Letting Robin sit at her desk, Emma walked back to the window and crossed her arms. Was there something up with the weather?

* * *

Mr. Gold had noticed the change in the weather that morning. Something was bothering him about it, like something had been bothering his grandson. However, Mr. Gold didn't think about it. He was preoccupied with making sure that Gideon didn't run into one of the shelves in the store.

Gideon was giggling behind one of the coat racks as Mr. Gold smiled down at his son. If he hadn't stopped his mother, none of this would be happening now. Gideon would still be in the Black Fairy's clutches, and Belle would still be separated from him.

Knowing he shouldn't dwell on the past, Mr. Gold looked up as Belle came into the store, a new stack of books in her arms. Gideon ran over and almost knocked the books out of his mother's hands. However, s burst of magic appeared from Mr. Gold's fingers, keeping the books from falling on his family. Belle gave her husband an annoyed look.

"Rumple, we've talked about this…"

"I know Belle, but sometimes I cannot help it." Mr. Gold explained, holding his hands up in innocence.

"Believe me, I am trying." Belle gave her husband a sympathetic look.

"It's alright. I know you are trying to get away from the magic." Belle didn't understand how hard it was for Mr. Gold to resist the temptation to use his Dark One magic. But he had been fighting hard to stop the urge, thinking about his wife and son over his powers. So far, for the past two years at least, it had been working. But something had changed. There was something wrong about today.

And unbeknownst to Mr. Gold, a certain wand, which had been split in two because of its owner, was slowly piecing itself back together in its blue case at the back of the store.

* * *

The Blue Fairy gave Regina a worried look as she and Zelena explained the situation. Even Snow White and David were having trouble believing the circumstance.

"When did she start using magic?" Blue asked cautiously. Zelena thought about it for a moment, then sighed.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but yesterday evening." Zelena was expecting some questioning from the others. However, Blue merely sighed.

"Its not ridiculous. It is timed perfectly."

Three of the four adults that were in the room with the fairy were confused. But Regina was not. She took over for the Blue Fairy after that point.

"Zelena, you said that you started using magic when you were a baby, in Oz?" Regina confirmed. Zelena nodded.

"I don't know if it happened in the Enchanted Forest. Doubtful, or else mother would have kept me."

Zelena admitted.

"Oz is a pretty powerful place when it comes to magic. Being there sparked it." Regina explained.

"When it comes to magic, it will start to spark for people at different times. It can be in times when it is needed the most, or times when there is an overwhelming magic in that place." Regina continued. The others were starting to understand.

"There's been an increase in magic?" David ventured.

"From where? Everyone has been avoiding using their magic, even the Dark One." Blue stated. Regina sighed.

"Has anyone else been getting the feeling that today has been an off day?" Everyone in the room nodded. Regina felt her heart pound.

"There's a simple explanation for that." Everyone turned around and looked at the door to Blue's office. Everyone's question had been answered by the appearance of the woman standing at the door.

* * *

Captain Hook was a man born on the sea. Literally, his mother had him in a large vessel that her husband was trying to find work on. But besides his strange beginning, Hook knew that he would want to spend his days on the sea.

As he noticed the change in the weather, he felt a strange urge to go down to the ocean that was at the edge of the small town. It was as if there was something there that he needed.

"I'm going to go down to the water." Hook told his wife, who looked at him with a confused expression.

"Really? In this weather?" Emma asked. She wasn't convinced that there was something wrong about the weather, only thinking that with the wind it could be bad to go outside. However, Hook was wanting to go. Giving his wife a kiss, he quickly patted Neal's and Robin's head, and slapped Henry on the back.

"Ow." Henry complained. Hook smiled and left the station.

As he walked down towards the sea, Hook noticed something on the water. He was surprised he hadn't seen it from the sheriff's office. His heart started to beat rapidly.

"Bloody hell."

* * *

Mr. Gold was holding Gideon in his arms as he looked around the back of the store. Belle had placed Gideon's favourite book back there on one of the shelves, but Mr. Gold couldn't see it. Gideon always went to sleep when someone read that story to him.

As Mr. Gold looked around the different shelves, Gideon noticed a blue box on one of the shelves, which was glowing slightly. Poking at it, the lid of the box came off, revealing the item inside. Mr. Gold noticed and was about to place the lid back on the box when he looked at the wand inside.

The Black Fairy had died two years before, Mr. Gold disintegrating her to dust with her own wand. The wand had broken into two pieces after her death, and Mr. Gold had placed it in a box so that he wouldn't have to look at it. However, looking inside the box now…

"Its mended itself." Mr. Gold noticed. He placed Gideon on the floor of the shop and picked up the wand. As he held it in his hand, he felt Gideon grab at his pantleg. Mr. Gold looked down at his son, and felt the wand leave his hand. A black cloud of magic appeared in his hand and swallowed up the wand.

Instinctively, Mr. Gold looked behind him at the curtain that separated the two parts of the store.

An attractive woman with dark brown hair stared at the Dark One and his son, holding the wand in her hand. She gave Mr. Gold a wide smile, but he saw the glint of wickedness in her eyes.

"I appreciate you holding onto the wand for me, Rumple." She stated, tilting her head slightly. Mr. Gold glared at her, and near her feet, he saw Belle's outstretched arm.

"Belle!"

* * *

Henry was looking outside at the main street of StoryBrooke as Neal sat on his lap. He could see Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop from where one of the windows was located in the office, and noticed someone walk into the store. It was a tall slender woman, but Henry couldn't tell who she was exactly. A few minutes passed, and the woman stepped out of the store again. Henry felt his heart drop.

It was impossible. She had died. There was no way she was leaving Mr. Gold's shop. However, Henry could remember what Rumpelstiltskin's mother looked like.

"Mom, we have to go." He stated. Emma came beside her son and looked out the window. She noticed the woman leaving the shop.

"Henry, grab your bag." Emma placed Robin's backpack on her back and grabbed Robin. Henry held Neal in his arms as he grabbed his backpack, which held his wallet, notebooks, and storybook that Snow White had given him before he met Emma. He followed his mother to her old yellow car and hopped in the front seat.

A plan had been created by the group after the Black Fairy had been defeated. Since there were now babies that needed to be kept safe, it was decided that if another villain came into the town, Emma would taken Henry, Neal and Robin over the town line to get them to safety. There was only one occasion when the plan was needed, but it was a false alarm. Leroy had thought that another villain was in the town when he saw someone that he didn't recognize at the town pub. However, it was just a quiet maid from the Enchanted Forest.

This time though, Emma kept her foot pressed against the gas pedal and drove through traffic lights. Henry saw his mother's phone going off, and answered it for her.

"Emma, where are you?" Hook was demanding.

"It's her, Killian." Henry explained. He told Hook what he had seen at Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop.

"Come down to the shore, there's something here-" The call was cut short. Henry hung up the phone and tried calling Regina. No luck. He tried calling Zelena, then Snow White, then David. None of them answered their phones.

"It's gonna be alright, kid." Emma tried to promise, but there was no confidence in her voice.

Coming to the town line, Emma stopped the car a few feet from it. She remembered what had happened to Ashley when she had tried to escape the town to escape Mr. Gold when she was pregnant with her daughter. She had ended up in a car crash. Though that was during the time of the curse, Emma was not willing to risk the kids' lives.

Opening the doors of the car, Emma placed Robin on the ground, who clutched her hand as Emma slipped her necklace from Neal into her backpack.

"You can hold this for me, Robin." Emma stated as she grabbed her sword. Henry had Neal's hand, and they were prepared to cross the town line.

"Leaving without saying hello?"

Turning around, Emma felt a blast of magic hit her chest. She slid across the ground and landed right in front of the town line. She could hear Henry call out for her, but she felt weak. Sitting up, she saw Robin crying as Henry was backing away with Neal. He was scared to get any closer to Robin, as the Black Fairy was walking towards her.

"Robin." Emma stated weakly. She felt drained of everything. She then noticed a black leather cuff on her arm, and realized that the Black Fairy had blocked off her magic. Uh oh.

"My Robin, you certainly have gotten big." The Black Fairy admitted. Robin was stepping away from her, her little feet drawing closer to the town line. Henry decided to move closer, but felt his feet glued to the pavement. Magic held him down. Neal squirmed in his arms.

"I've certainly missed StoryBrooke." The Black Fairy admitted. She gave Robin a wicked smile.

"And I've certainly missed the children in the town." Emma remembered what the Black Fairy did with kids. But before she could do anything more, she felt her body weaken, and she closed her eyes. Before she passed out completely, she heard Robin scream.


	3. Chapter One: Curiosity and Wishing

Chapter One: Curiosity and Wishing

_15 years later_

Neal looked down at the math work in front of him, wondering if he was in the wrong class. He noticed that a lot of the other students were struggling with their schoolwork, which confirmed his suspicions. Getting up with a sigh, Neal took his work over to the teacher. She gave him a confused look as he handed her his paper.

"I don't think this is the best class for me." Neal admitted. The teacher nodded, and allowed Neal to leave the class so he could talk with his counsellor about finding a new math class.

Walking down to his counsellor's office, Neal felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He saw a text appear on the screen:

_You walked out of class. Issue with the work?_

Neal paused in front of the counsellor's office and replied:

_Yep. Don't worry, I'm talking with the counsellor about it now._

A few minutes later, Neal was sitting down with his counsellor as the man looked over Neal's work compared to the work in the math class.

"Are you sure you want to change classes?" The counsellor asked.

"It's too easy, I need something that will make me think!" Neal protested. Usually, students were trying to get out of harder classes, so they didn't have as much work. Neal was a different case.

After the counsellor switched Neal into a different math class, Neal called his dad and left a message for him to hear later.

"Hey dad, I had to switch to another math class. I'll let you know more when I get home."

Putting his phone away, Neal wandered down to the library. He couldn't walk into the middle of his new math class, so he would wait until the next day.

Sitting in the library, Neal couldn't help but wonder once more about why he was so good at math. His parents were not great in the subject, usually having someone else help them out when math problems arose. But then again, Neal wasn't related to his parents.

Neal sighed once more as a familiar wish entered his mind. _I wish I was related to Janice and Wyatt. _

When Neal was really young, he was adopted by the couple after two days of being in their home through foster care. Neal was about five-years old, and he remembered how quickly he had fallen in love with the couple. Neither Janice nor Wyatt tried to pry into Neal's personal space, but were always open to talking when Neal had a problem. Life had been fun and peaceful when Neal had been adopted, and most importantly Neal had parents he could rely on. But of course, human curiosity took over and Neal would find moments where he would be curious about his biological parents. Realizing how good he was at math made Neal curious if one of his biological parents was good in the subject.

Shaking his head, Neal decided to get a small head start on the history homework he had been given after first period. This was a subject Neal struggled in, which was why he gave himself a break and took a history class that didn't give as much work. He wanted to focus his time on the math classes he would be taking that year, not wanting to worry about when some guy travelled to some island to discover some culture.

Thirty minutes passed, and Neal caught himself daydreaming about graduating high school. He was seventeen-years old, and was in his last year. He couldn't wait to move on to college and start his future. Janice and Wyatt had been giving Neal advice and tips on where he should look into for college, considering the programs that would interest Neal. The boy couldn't help but appreciate how much freedom his parents were giving him compared to others. He knew that some of his friends in school were feeling the pressure from their parents to attend certain schools and apply for certain programs. But Janice and Wyatt made it very clear that Neal needed to figure it out for himself, and that they were going to be along for the ride to back him up when needed.

"We love you sweetheart, but we cannot make your decisions for you." Janice told her son. Wyatt agreed immediately, telling Neal about the situation he went through when he was seventeen, and how terribly it had backfired.

"Dad wanted me to go into accounting. But you know how I am with numbers. Needless to say, my first year of college was a bit of a joke." Wyatt would say while laughing. He didn't hold any grudges against his parents for trying to force a career on him. Wyatt just merely scraped the idea of accounting and went into another field. Now, he was successful in his career in recreation, working in camps and community centres to help kids get healthy and physically fit.

Neal was still trying to figure out where he wanted to find a career, and decided to check online again for different ideas when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. An alarm he had set for himself reminded him that his next class was physics, and it was in ten minutes. Putting away his history homework, Neal walked to the science labs, wondering if he should try accounting. He knew he would be more successful than his dad.

* * *

The last two periods of the day passed by quickly, and Neal waited on one of the stands while the cross-country team was getting ready for practice. Neal was on his phone, looking at different running shoes. He wanted to get something practical, and when he had asked Janice, she said that Neal should look into getting a pair of runners.

"She loves to run, Neal." Janice reminded him. As Neal looked along the track, he smiled. He knew how much his friend loved to run. Neal could see her on the other side of the track loop, currently in the middle of racing some of the members of the track team. It was common at the school that you get on the team through tryouts, but you had to earn your place amongst the other members.

Neal watched his friend shake hands with one of the top runners on the track team. She didn't have to beat the other athlete, but merely prove that she could run. Closing the store tab on his phone, Neal started to record his friend as she lined up to race. Even the athletes on the cross-country team paused to watch the race. Everyone's attention was on the race on the other side of the track.

A whistle started the race, and Neal watched his friend run down the track. Her red hair was flying behind her back, staying uniform in its ponytail. The person she was racing against was surprised as she passed by, but they quickly pushed through and ran ahead. He ended up winning the race. Neal sighed as he stopped the video, but quickly smiled when he looked at the time on his phone. _She's gotten faster._

Running across the track, Neal came up beside the track team as the two athletes returned to the group. The boy who had been racing stuck out his hand to his opponent, impressed by her skills.

"Welcome to the team, Hood."

* * *

Robin Hood shook the boy's hand as she smiled proudly. Jack admitted that she had been quicker than he had anticipated, even thought she hadn't beat him.

"I've had a few years under my belt, Robin. But you've got skills. Go back to the cross-country team, and I'll put in a good word for you with coach." Jack promised. Nodding, Robin bid farewell to the track team and walked across the track with Neal.

"Did I do better in that race?" Robin asked, knowing that Neal was going to record it. Her friend liked to help Robin keep track of her progress. Also, he didn't have anything else to do, since he wasn't playing soccer until the evening. He had time to kill.

"You took off ten seconds from the last run." Neal admitted. Robin nodded, happy with the result. She walked back to her friends on the cross-country team as Neal went back to the stands, deciding to finish his history homework. Robin's friend Hannah patted her on the back.

"Nice run, Hood. Jack was surprised when you passed by him." She stated.

"It wasn't too bad. They'll let me on the team, I just have to work harder." Robin said. She hadn't done as much running during the summer break as she thought was necessary, since she was busy working at the grocery store.

"Are you going to get that gym membership you wanted so you can get more workouts in?" Hannah asked as the girls started to jog down the track. Robin sighed.

"I want to, but I'm not too sure. I need to save the money that I've earned." Robin's plan all summer had been to save money for a gym membership that she could use in the school year, especially during the winter. But she thought about the other expenses that would come up during the school year, and decided to hold off for a month or so.

"I might just get a winter membership and go from there." Robin explained. Winter was the worse time of year for her when it came to exercise. She became lazy and didn't work out as she should have. But she didn't enjoy running through several inches of snow.

"Well, that's not a bad idea." Hannah decided. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket as she ran and checked her social media. Hannah was a popular girl in school, and wanted to keep up with her friends online. Robin was surprised that the two of them actually got along, considering that fact that Robin wasn't big on social media and preferred to spend her time outside.

As Robin continued to run, she thought about how her day at school went. She had seen Neal leave his math class as she sat through her own, struggling with the math problems the teacher had given them.

She, unlike Neal, was not great when it came to the subject, and preferred other classes in school because of it. She was comfortable in history and English, though she wasn't keen on the teacher she had in the latter subject.

"Do you like the homework that Mr. H assigned us today?" Robin asked Hannah. Sadly, her friend was wrapped up in her technology, so Robin didn't receive a response. After practice was over, Robin asked Neal the same question. They sat beside each other in the class, playing tic-tac-toe again and again while Mr. H discussed the topic for the semester at the front of the class.

"Oh yeah, I'm really looking forward to learning more about fairy tales." Neal answered sarcastically. He had never been a huge fan of the stories, not wanting to get too distracted by the imagination that they were filled with. He preferred other books to read.

Robin nodded, but she had to admit, she didn't mind looking at fairy tales. Except, of course, if Mr. H decides to discuss one in particular…

* * *

Robin waved goodbye to Neal as she walked down the street to her house. Neal didn't live too far, but he went in the opposite direction.

Unlocking the front door, Robin wasn't too surprised that Bill or Tina weren't home. They were workaholics, and probably wouldn't be home until about six o'clock.

Sitting down at the island in the kitchen, Robin started to do her math homework, deciding that she would show Neal after soccer practice to see if she had done it correctly. Robin always went to Neal's soccer practices with Janice on Wednesday evenings.

As she finished the last math problem about forty minutes later, Robin quickly looked over the English assignment that Mr. H had given the class. The assignment was to choose a fairy tale and find out as much information about it as possible. The assignment wasn't written clearly, with no specifications on what information Mr. H actually wanted.

Robin had already crossed off a few fairy tales that she didn't want to do, wondering if she should research about the fairy tale _Sleeping Beauty._ She had liked the Disney movie as a little kid, though Maleficent terrified her.

Looking over the list once more, Robin saw a fairy tale on the list that caused her to roll her eyes.

_Robin Hood._ Mr. H had noticed Robin's first and last name on the attendance sheet and decided it would be appropriate to comment on it in front of the whole class.

"Of all the fairy tales to choose from, why did your parents have to choose one that was so boring?" He asked. A few of the kids in the class smirked at the joke. Robin didn't say anything in response, not knowing what she could say. It wasn't her fault that she was named after a character from a fairy tale!

"What were they thinking?" Robin asked allowed as she drew a dark line over the fairy tale suggestion.

Immediately, she began to think about her birth parents.

Just like Neal, Robin didn't know who her biological parents were, so the same curiosity he felt about his parents was what Robin dealt with. But unlike Neal, Robin dealt with it daily, usually thinking about it everyday. But her life wasn't like Neal's.

Neal had been adopted when he was five-years old by Janice and Wyatt. They were great parents, and Neal had an amazing extended family. Robin couldn't relate. She was currently in the foster system, having lived with Bill and Tina for the past five years. They weren't awful people, but Robin didn't think of them as parents. Unlike with Janice and Wyatt, Robin didn't talk to Bill and Tina about different problems she had.

Before Robin had been living with Bill and Tina, she had spent three years in a foster home closer to Maine. When she was told that she had to move to another city, Robin didn't want to go, though Robin still didn't know why. Nothing stood out as being really enjoyable. Of course, now that she had Neal as her friend and a pretty good school to attend, Robin was glad she had left. But she wondered why she had been so attached to Maine.

As Robin was starting to think about the five years before Maine, she heard someone knocking on the door. Opening it, Robin saw the mailman holding out a large box for her.

"Robin Hood?" He asked, smirking. Robin was tempted to close the door on him, seeing how much he reminded her of her English teacher. But she nodded without smiling and took the box.

She brought it up to her bedroom and was going to open it when she got a text on her phone. She saw a message from Janice:

_Do you want to come over for supper?_

Robin responded quickly, and left the box on her bed. Robin locked the door and headed down the street, wishing that she had been adopted by people like Janice and Wyatt.


	4. Chapter 2: Fairy Tales and Magical Towns

Chapter Two: Fairy Tales and Magical Towns

It became apparent to Robin in English class the following day that she didn't need to worry about choosing a fairy tale for her assignment. As she came into the class, Mr. H handed her a piece of paper. As Robin went to her seat, she realized that the teacher had already chosen a fairy tale for her.

"He's making me research _Robin Hood._" Robin told Neal. However, Neal seemed to be stuck in a similar boat, already having a fairy tale chosen for him as well.

"I was given _Snow White._" He admitted as he rolled his eyes. "Why does he get to choose our fairy tales for us?"

At first, Robin presumed that Mr. H chose the fairy tales for each of students, but she didn't see anyone else have a designated fairy tale on their sheets. Sitting down in her seat, Robin glared at her teacher, only to realize that he was glaring right back at her.

"I don't think he likes us." Robin included Neal in this statement, seeing Mr. H glare at her friend as well.

Neal ignored their English teacher during the whole class, so Robin sent him her notes once class was finished. Neal was a bit more sensitive about these things.

As they walked to their second classes of the day, Neal looked over at Robin.

"So, any plans for your birthday?"

Robin sighed. She hadn't really been thinking about it. She was preoccupied with the training in cross-country, and then she was busy with homework. Her birthday was in one week, but she didn't have any ideas for celebrating.

"I don't have anything figured out. How come?" She asked, looking at Neal.

"Mom wants to have you over for a birthday dinner. She knows that Bill and Tina, well…" Neal felt awkward bringing up Robin's foster parents, and then felt guilty about how nice it was to be adopted. He had met Bill and Tina when he and Robyn were both twelve- years old, and hasn't seem them as much since. Robin called them workaholics.

Thankfully, Janice and Wyatt basically served as parents to Robin as well. They invite her to come to dinner every Saturday, and Robin has gone on some of the family trips. Janice and Wyatt really cared about Robin.

"I would really like that." Robin admitted. "I know that Bill will be gone on a trip, and Tina might be gone as well." That statement bothered Neal. Couldn't Bill and Tina be bothered to be around when Robin celebrated her seventeenth birthday?

However, Robin didn't really react to the situation. She knew that she had people who cared for her, and she didn't care that Bill and Tina weren't going to be in town. Robin had been hearing the two of them bicker over the summer, which was another reason why she was so eager to find work.

Robin arrived at her second class, saying goodbye to Neal. Sitting down at her desk, she started to think about the box that was on her bed. She was too tired from last night's soccer game and revision of her math homework to open it. What was inside?

* * *

Excitedly sitting down at the dinner table, Neal realized that he was exhausted from the swim at the pool. Wyatt was working at the community centre not too far from their house, and Neal had decided to go swimming after school. Neal remembered when Wyatt had taught him to swim at that pool, a few days after Neal had moved in. Wyatt's favourite recreational activity had always been swimming, and it was something Neal liked to do in his spare time.

However, Neal also liked to eat, and Janice had made her son's favourite meal. A big piece of shepherd's pie was passed over to Neal, who said grace before his family began to eat. He wished that Robin could have come over for dinner, but she had been anxious to go home after cross-country practice.

"I ordered the new shoes for Robin today." Neal told his parents. He had been excited to buy them, glad to be able to get something his friend could actually use.

"She's going to love them, Neal." Janice assured her son. Wyatt nodded in agreement, too excited about the meal to say anything.

"Wow, Robin is turning seventeen. Do you remember when you two were only twelve?" Janice asked. She didn't know if her son remembered, but she had been so excited when she had met Robin. She had been impressed by the manners Robin had, basing this judgement on how many twelve-years old she had met before. But Robin was kind and respectful of Janice and Wyatt. She also really liked hanging out with Neal, challenging him to races and going swimming with him at the pool.

The way Bill and Tina were treating Robin bothered Janice. She knew that the two adults weren't abusive or harsh towards Robin, but they just didn't care. A few days after Robin had met Janice, she had already started talking to Janice about personal issues, which Janice never shared with Neal.

"I remember. She was faster than most of the boys in the class for track and field racing." Neal admitted, remembering how annoyed the other boys in the class were when Robin won first place. Neal hadn't been as annoyed, since he saw how humble Robin was. She didn't gloat about winning.

"How is her running coming?" Wyatt asked. He was the one who had helped Robin train properly in running, going with her and Neal on runs after school to help them understand the best strides and when to breathe. Neal stuck up his thumb to answer, since his mouth was full of shepherd's pie. Janice rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why you love shepherd's pie so much, Neal." Janice wondered. Neal didn't answer, instead having another big bite of food.

* * *

Tina had called Robin to let her know that she wouldn't be coming home until around 9 o'clock. Robin appreciated that Tina was letting her know, whereas Bill would show up unexpectedly. He would even be upset with Robin that there wasn't any food ready for dinner, but she didn't know when he was coming home and hadn't been asked to make anything by Tina. The couple was having difficulty with communication.

Not knowing when Bill was going to come home, Robin made him a sandwich and placed it in the fridge. Bill didn't really care what he had for supper, so long as he had something to eat.

After making some food for Bill, Robin worked on her homework. She wanted to open the box that was left for her, but she knew that she would get too distracted and not do her homework. Forty minutes passed, and Robin finished her work.

Robin placed the box on the kitchen table, and texted Neal. She wanted him to come over and see what was inside. Neal texted that he would be over quickly. The boy was true to his word and arrived five minutes later, holding a red container.

"Mom made shepherd's pie." He explained. Robin was thrilled, glad she didn't have to make herself a sandwich for dinner like she had to for Bill. She placed the container in the fridge and explained the box to Neal.

"The mailman brought it over yesterday." Robin stated. "I don't know what's inside, since I haven't ordered anything." Neal looked at the box in excitement.

"A mystery. This is pretty intense." He joked, but he was excited about what could be inside.

Grabbing a pair of scissors, Robin opened the box and peaked inside. Inside the box was a small green backpack, with her name written across the top in pen.

The two teenagers paused for a moment as they looked at the small bag.

"I think it might be yours'." Neal stated. Robin gave him a look as she lifted the backpack out of the box.

Sitting it upright on the table, Robin opened the backpack carefully and looked inside. She saw a small pouch and opened it, pulling out a birth certificate.

"Dude, you have a birth certificate!" Neal exclaimed, immediately jealous. Janice and Wyatt had something made for Neal when he was small, but it wasn't determined where he was born exactly.

"Maybe." Robin admitted, since the birth certificate was not what she was expecting. On the card, she saw her birthday, and her full name. Apparently, her middle name was Emma.

"Robin Emma Hood." Robin said aloud. It didn't sound too bad. But the birth certificate looked weird, and Robin couldn't see the name of the town or city where she had been born written on it.

Also inside the backpack was a silver chain with a token on it. Robin gently scooped up the chain and looked at the token, which had a silver swan on it.

"That's…kinda nice." Neal said. He wasn't big on jewelry, and didn't know if it actually was. However, Robin must have felt an attachment to it, as she looped it around her neck immediately.

"I've never really had a necklace before." Robin explained. Janice had let Robin borrow some jewelry when she had athletic banquets, or when she had graduated public school. But that jewelry was always returned.

The last object in the backpack was a green book, and Robin saw her name written on the cover. She looked at Neal.

"I think this might belong to me." She stated. Neal rolled his eyes. Robin opened the book and noticed a drawing of a town on the first pages she saw. She was impressed by how the drawing looked, wondering if it was the town where she was born. She looked at the clock tower that had been drawn in the picture, and a shop with a sign that said Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop.

Going to another page, Robin saw her full name written once more, with when she was born and how big she was at birth.

"This is my baby book." Robin said, flabbergasted. "How did I get this?"

"By the mailman." Neal answered, not taking this as seriously as Robin was. He looked at some of the writing in the book.

"Apparently, you were born in Maine. Where I had been found." Neal might not have known the town where he had been born, but it had been declared that he was found in Maine when he was two years old, brought into a foster home by the woman who found him.

_Maybe that's why I didn't want to leave Maine when I was twelve? _Robin didn't say it aloud, caught up in the information she had been given. The page didn't say the name of Robin's parents, instead having the name of her god-mother.

"Regina Mills." Robin said. That wasn't as important to Robin, because she really wanted to know her parents' names.

On the next page, Robin saw a picture of a man holding a small baby in his arms, smiling down at her. A small caption had been written under the picture, explaining it to Robin:

_Robin holding his daughter after her birth. Name had not been decided yet._

"I think that's my father." Robin admitted. She looked at the man in the photo, seeing that she had the same blue eyes he had. He smiled down at his daughter, which meant that he loved her. Why hadn't he kept Robin?

Neal looked at the picture, seeing immediate similarity between the man and his best friend.

"I can see it. And you guys have the same name." Robin had known some kids who had been named after their parents, but usually sons named after their fathers and daughters named after their mothers. Robin was glad that her name was unisex, so it was alright to name her after her dad.

Robin flipped to another page in the baby book, and saw a picture of the town that had been drawn on the first pages of her baby book. Another caption was under this picture as well.

_StoryBrooke, a magical town._

"I think I was born in StoryBrooke."

* * *

A few days after Robin saw her baby book, she was starting to disbelieve its information. Then again, she hadn't been giving the book as much attention as she thought she would. Maybe the name of the town was so unbelievable that she naturally thought it wasn't true.

Running on the track, Robin focused her attention on the race she had the next day. She would be running a five-kilometer race not too far from her house, and wanted to make sure she was prepared for the run. Her training wouldn't be as long as it usually was, since the team's coach didn't want the athletes to be tuckered out.

Neal was sitting on the stands looking online for information about StoryBrooke. He hadn't been able to find anything, other than sites that sold children's novels. As he looked online, he heard the bell go off in the school. He and Robin had to get to English class.

"Maybe StoryBrooke is a nickname for the actual town. Neal suggested as he and Robin walked by Mr. H in the classroom. Neither of them noticed the look he had on his face as they continued their discussion.

"Could be. It did say that StoryBrooke was a 'magical town'. Maybe there's another town or city that's known for magicians or magical acts." Robin responded. As they sat at their desk, Neal pulled out an assignment from his geography class.

"We're looking at the different forested areas of the US." Neal explained. He sighed as he remembered what his teacher had told him yesterday. "Our teacher isn't going to be here today, because his wife is having a baby. Mr. H is going to be the substitute." Neal wasn't thrilled about the idea of dealing with Mr. H for two classes that day.

* * *

Neal wasn't excited for geography. Usually he was happy in the class, liking the teacher he had and being with his friends. But his teacher was away, and he was thinking about Robin's baby book.

Neal really wanted Robin to find out some information. It could change her life, finding out about her parents. But StoryBrooke, that had to be a nickname for where she was born.

As Mr. H walked into the classroom, Neal noticed some of his friends give their teacher the evil eye. A bunch of them had received detention for making fun of some of the fairy tales being discussed in class. Neal admitted to only himself that Mr. H had a right to give them detention, but thought it was a bit harsh. Not a lot of teenage boys were interested in fairy tales. Neal himself was surprised with how much he was actually enjoying studying the story of _Snow White. _He thought the princess was beautiful, and liked the character of the prince.

Mr. H explained the assignment to the class once more, telling them that the teacher had allowed Mr. H to choose which student studied which forested area of the US. Neal rolled his eyes, unhappy with his geography teacher's choice of substitute.

Each student walked up to the front of the class to find their assignment. Neal grabbed his, noticing the large red circle on his map. Sitting down at his desk, he started to notice differences between his original assignment and the document he had been given.

Neal looked at the area that he would be studying, and felt his heart race. The large circle on his map enclosed the state of Maine, which was ironic enough as he thought about where he had been found as a two-year old. But a smaller circle was on the map as well, with one word causing his heartrate to increase:

StoryBrooke


	5. Chapter Three: Mapping out a Trip

Chapter Three: Mapping out a Trip

Janice decided that Robin's birthday was going to be celebrated early. She would be seventeen in two days, but there were a few problems with having anything done on the actual day. Tina and Bill were leaving for work trips the next day, and Janice and Wyatt were going on an anniversary trip. When all the adults returned, Robin would have been seventeen for two weeks. Janice's decision made the most sense, and no one else made a fuss. Tina and Bill were not able to make it to the birthday celebration, but neither left Robin empty handed. Tina purchased a cake for Robin that Janice designed at home, also giving Robin some money that would be used for the gym membership. However, Robin could tell that neither of her foster parents were communicating very well, since Bill also purchased a cake that Janice ended up designing at home, and also gave Robin money. Robin was grateful for both gifts and had thanked her foster-parents on the phone. Robin had decided that she would use the money from Bill to send her bike to the shop for repairs.

Wyatt and Neal had gone out to get Robin a birthday present, while Janice made creamy chicken with mashed potatoes and stuffing, which was Robin's favourite meal. Hannah had been invited to the dinner since she was a mutual friend of Robin and Neal's, but she had hurt her foot during the race that had happened in the morning and said she would stay home.

Robin was a few minutes late to the dinner, exhausted from everything that had happened during the day. She had woken up earlier than usual so she could bike to the school, then she had a race against 100 seventeen-year old girls. She ended up receiving second place, which wasn't too bad in her books. Jack had joined the cross-country team for the event so he could see how Robin fared in the race. He admitted that the track coach would be impressed with Robin's skills.

Wyatt and Neal dashed upstairs to wrap Robin's gift, and brought it down.

Sitting at the dinner table, Robin thanked Janice and Wyatt for the new sport hoodie they had bought, and was excited over the new running shoes Neal had purchased. They were dark green, and the same brand of shoes that Robin had been using for the past few years. Neal was grateful that his mother had thought of getting Robin new shoes, and was happy to see Robin excited.

When Janice brought out both birthday cakes, Wyatt gave Robin and Janice a confused look.

"Is Tina trying to make us fat?" He asked jokingly. Robin rolled her eyes while Janice gave her husband a serious look.

"Tina and Bill both bought cakes." She said shortly. Wyatt looked at Robin with an apologetic look.

"They haven't really been communicating well." Robin admitted. For some reason, this was bugging her.

Neal quickly went to the railing of the stairs to look inside his jacket pocket, pulling out a piece of paper.

Wyatt and Janice were in the kitchen, and Neal gave Robin the piece of paper.

"I got this in geography for my assignment." Neal said. Robin gave him a confused expression, wondering how his geography assignment tied into anything. On the piece of paper, she saw the red circle surrounding Maine, and the small black circle surrounding StoryBrooke.

"Its in Maine." She said. "How did your teacher know where it was?"

"I don't know if it was him exactly. Mr. H was the substitute and he said that my geography teacher allowed him to choose what part of the US each student was studying. Mr. H knew about StoryBrooke."

Robin felt her heart race.

"I can go there, Neal." She said aloud.

Neal stared at Robin, yet he didn't feel any surprise or shock.

"StoryBrooke, Maine, a magical place apparently." Neal said. He thought about Snow White and the Evil Queen, Prince Charming kissing a girl in a coffin, dwarves in mines, and felt immediate desire to go to StoryBrooke. Had it been because he had been reading a lot about the fairy tale?

"I want to go, Robin." Neal said. And for some reason, it wasn't just because he wanted to help Robin find her family.

Neal and Robin shook hands, quietly deciding that they would go to StoryBrooke. Janice and Wyatt came into the room a few minutes later, seeing determined looks on the teenagers' faces. Neal wondered if StoryBrooke was like a fairy tale, where maybe Robin would find her happy ending.

* * *

Neal's school was interesting. He would have been happier if he went to school at Hogwarts, but sadly he didn't receive his letter when he was eleven.

For some reason, the school was closed for the next few weeks. Neal didn't know why, but he decided that Robin should know. However, he noticed a message on his phone:

_The school is closed for a few weeks. I am going to StoryBrooke, and I know you want to come. Tell me now if you are coming, and I will get two tickets for a bus._

Neal didn't think of repercussions with his answer, agreeing to go with Robin. Of course, anxiety kicked in and he was worried.

There was a very good chance that StoryBrooke wasn't real. He and Robin were following a piece of paper that Neal had been given from their English teacher, who he did not like. The name of the town alone was, well, not everyone would be willing to go to a place called StoryBrooke.

However, Neal knew that Robin would want to go anyway. If it turns out StoryBrooke isn't real, she will be okay, because she still tried to get to her family.

Suddenly, Neal felt tears in his eyes. Robin was trying to find out her past with the information that she had. She wanted to know what had been her past. Neal was curious for his best friend.

Neal grabbed his laptop, needing to send an email before he went to do laundry. He typed in his English teacher's email:

Dear Mr. H,

I don't know how formal to make this email. How did you know about StoryBrooke? How did you know where it was? That piece of paper you gave to me in geography, it had the town in a black circle.

Is StoryBrooke real? Is it a nickname for an actual town?

Have a pleasant evening, and answer these questions.

Sincerely,

Neal G.

* * *

Neal went to his room to grab laundry, thinking about his teacher. He had noticed the man's last name on the assignment he was given in English, and it didn't make Neal feel comfortable.

Neal was groggy from the small amount of sleep he had gained from the night before. He locked the front door of his house behind him, noticing the car in his driveway.

Neal's neighbours had noticed that Janice and Wyatt's car was not there, so they occupied the space with their own car. Neal wasn't upset by it, since a car in the driveway could deter thieves.

Robin was sitting on the chair on the porch at her house as Neal walked down the street. She got up from her seat and grabbed her backpack and gym bag.

"Your parents might kill you when they find out." Robin stated, less groggy than Neal.

"Not just me. They'll kill you too, you're their daughter." Neal said. Janice and Wyatt loved Robin, and really had treated her as a daughter.

"Well, it's the thought that counts." Robin said.

* * *

The bus ride to Maine was not too bad. Robin was asleep for three hours of the trip, and Neal was looking through her baby book, having asked Robin permission before she fell asleep.

Neal saw different marks of Robin's first year of life kept in the book, with a cute picture of Robin sitting in a sheriff station with the sheriff beside her.

Neal looked at the different people in the photos, the different captions written under the pictures. Robin's parents were dedicated to this book, to the life of their daughter.

_Why was Robin abandoned? _It wasn't making much sense to Neal anymore. Before, Neal sadly assumed that Robin's parents didn't want her, or they had passed away. He was starting to believe that latter option was true as he read through the book. He was scared that Robin would find out that her parents were gone.

Feeling a little anxious about it, Neal placed Robin's book back in her backpack. The small green backpack that had been sent to Robin in the mail was in her usual backpack, holding her baby book and wallet. Neal didn't know where the baby book had come from.

However, he didn't realize that Robin had a pretty good guess of its origin.

* * *

The bus driver couldn't take the kids to StoryBrooke, so they stopped somewhere not too far away.

Quickly looking at a new map of Maine, while comparing it to the map from geography, Neal was able to recognize the patch of forest. He had done his assignment on Maine quickly, having thought about StoryBrooke and showing the page to Robin. He hadn't told her that he received an A.

Neal and Robin started to walk down the road that led into the forest, not knowing when they would see StoryBrooke. The walk was very nice, Neal regarding all the trees that he had seen online. Robin kept looking at the road ahead.

It was about five o'clock in the evening, and there was a large line on the ground that raced across the road. It was bright pink, for some reason marking the concrete. Neal noticed his shoe was untied while Robin looked at the line. She walked over it and kept looking down the road, hearing Neal behind her.

"Robin?" Robin turned around, giving Neal a confused look. He didn't look at her, instead looking at the forest beside the road. Neal walked into the forest.

Robin went back over the line.

"Neal." Neal turned around.

"Where did you go?" He asked. Robin pointed ahead on the road.

"I was standing on the road, not too far over the pink line." Robin stated. Neal didn't believe her.

Grabbing his backpack and gym bag, Neal walked with Robin over the pink line, immediately proving that he was more observant than Robin when he noticed a backpack in part of the forest. He walked over to the bag and picked it up.

It was old, with the straps both broken. The zipper of the bag was rusted, but Neal was able to open it. There were a couple of items inside, which were a wallet and a storybook. It was in much better condition that the bag and the wallet, which confused Neal. He gave the backpack to Robin, looking at the storybook.

Robin opened the wallet and noticed the name on a card.

"Henry Daniel Mills." She put the backpack inside her gym bag, and Neal put the storybook in his backpack. Neither of them liked to litter.

"I can see a sign." Neal stated. He and Robin walked towards it quickly, and stopped in front of the green sign.

"Entering StoryBrooke."


	6. Chapter 4: There is a town in Maine

Chapter Four: There is a town in Maine

Robin and Neal were curious about the number of trees there were in StoryBrooke. Though they had seen the green sign that said "Entering StoryBrooke", the forest that surrounded the two teenagers did not look like a town.

"Maybe this is the reason the town is considered magical." Neal speculated. "Kingdoms in fairy tales, magical kingdoms, were always in forests."

"This is a town, Neal." Robin reminded her friend. Neal was really getting into that assignment from Mr. H. She hadn't started on her assignment, deciding that she would do the bare minimum to send Mr. H a message; she thought it was stupid.

Robin had walked on ahead while Neal adjusted his backpack. Something was hurting him as he walked, and when he looked inside, he realized his laptop cord had moved. As he placed the cord in another pocket, he could hear noises in the forest. Neal thought that he should look up, but decided to ignore it. In books that he read, Neal remembered that the hero would look up when they heard a strange noise, and something involving an adventure happened.

Robin hadn't heard the noise, even though the creature in the forest was looking at her, completely ignoring Neal. They kept their eyes on Robin as she thought about the backpack Neal had found right near the pink line on the cement. The age that was stated on the ID said that the boy was sixteen, and the card was fifteen years old. But the storybook in his backpack seemed to be much older to Robin, even though it was in good condition.

Neal had caught up to Robin, still wondering what he had heard. But he was still ignoring the sounds, deciding that he and Robin would probably be safer if they kept on walking.

The creature in the forest was tempted to follow them, but heard something else. Soon, Neal stopped hearing the sounds that were bothering him, but it wasn't because he was too far away.

* * *

Robin noticed one place, while Neal noticed another. As they walked onto the main street of StoryBrooke, Robin was looking at a diner that was called Granny's, while Neal noticed an interesting store that sold a variety of items. There didn't seem to be a theme for products.

"Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop." Neal noted, reading the sign that hung above the door. He wanted to go inside, but noticed the gentleman who owned the store. He was an older man, looking like he was about fifty-five years old, and he was walking with a cane in a fancy business suit. Neal felt nervous about the gentleman, and was interested in going into the diner.

Robin hadn't noticed the man in the store, but he noticed her. However, before the man could open the door and introduce himself, Neal and Robin were crossing the street. The man was going to turn away and go back to the back of the store, but something stuck out in his mind, which made him nervous about Neal and Robin.

Robin and Neal had decided to eat at the counter in the diner, Neal ordering a grilled cheese sandwich and onion rings. There was shepherd's pie available, but Neal didn't want to try it out. He was scared that it would be better than the food Janice made, which was not a risk Neal wanted to take. He also had hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon. Robin was looking over the storybook that was in Henry's backpack as she ordered a chicken salad sandwich and fries.

"This book is in really good condition." She said as she read through the book. She had reached a chapter in the book that was about to dive into the story of Robin Hood. The next page of the book was angled, and Robin noticed an illustration on the next page. Before she could see the picture of the hero, Granny brought over their food.

"I didn't know it was a day off at the school." Granny commented, smiling as Robin put the storybook in her backpack.

"We're not at the school here." Robin explained. "We're visiting." Neal nodded in agreement, not really knowing anything that he could add.

Granny continued with her smile. "Well, welcome to StoryBrooke."

Neal and Robin were polite, but Granny could tell that they wanted to eat.

* * *

"I suppose the hospital is the best place to start finding information." Neal stated. Robin walked beside Neal as they went to the hospital. Arriving at the building, Robin thought it stood out compared to the other buildings that they had seen in the town. All of the other buildings were one story, and looked different compared to the hospital, which looked a lot more modern.

Robin walked to the small desk that was near the front doors. A doctor stood behind the desk, looking at the bulletin board.

"I have a question." Robin stated. The man turned around, and Robin noticed that his light blonde hair did not look good.

"I'm Dr. Whale, and hopefully I can answer that question." He stated. Robin could tell that this man was a flirter, and felt bad for the women that he had talked to.

"I'm wanting to find my birth record." Robin stated. Dr. Whale gave her a confused look.

"Your parents would have received information on your birth record when you were born. The file we have is not for patients to take."

"How about in cases when the patient doesn't have a birth record?" Robin asked. "I was born in this town seventeen years ago, but I didn't grow up here."

The doctor sighed, wondering what should be done. Neal moved away from the desk, wondering if this was more of a private conversation.

Walking towards one of the hallway entrances, Neal noticed a tall woman with dark brown hair walking into one of the rooms of the hospital. She wore a black jacket over a female's business suit. She was very pretty. Robin came beside Neal.

Robin and Neal walked down the same hallway to one of the larger rooms. There weren't too many patients inside, and the patients were spread out in the room on the different beds. Its as if the nurses didn't want to patients to socialize with one another.

"Doctor Whale is going to look for some information." Robin stated.

Robin regarded the bulletin board on one side of the room, whereas Neal noticed an older gentleman struggling to grab something from the ground right under his bed. Neal quickly walked over to the bed and grabbed the object, which was a wooden whale. He put it on the man's bed.

"Thank you." The man said politely. He immediately stuck out his hand.

"My name is Marco." Neal shook the man's hand.

"I'm Neal." Neal smiled at the old man. He noticed the whale he had scooped up.

"Did you make that whale?" Neal asked. Marco nodded, sighing.

"I made it for my son when he was little. He gave it back to me a few years ago."

Robin came up beside Neal, smiling at Marco. Neal felt comfortable with the older gentleman, but Robin was more uncomfortable with new people. Marco introduced himself to Robin.

"I have never met you two." Marco commented. "Did you grow up in StoryBrooke?"

"No, but I was apparently born here." Robin admitted.

"Your parents should have told you when you were younger." Marco stated. Robin agreed, not wanting to tell the old man that she didn't actually know who her parents were.

Dr. Whale came back to the room. A nurse was right behind him.

"Robin, we weren't able to find your file." He admitted. "It could have been misplaced when the office was being cleaned, or could be held somewhere else."

"Where else would birth records be held?" Robin asked curiously.

But Dr. Whale didn't give her an answer. He could hear one of the patients calling his name, and walked away from the teenagers. The nurse indicated that they could follow.

As Neal and Robin walked with the nurse, Neal noticed the woman again, standing by one of the beds in a separated room. There was a teenage boy in the bed. Robin looked over at the room, and saw the boy in the bed.

"Neal, I recognize that boy in the bed."

"How can you recognize him?" Neal asked. "We've never been here before!"

However, Robin was pulling out the wallet from her backpack, which had been inside the backpack found by the pink line.

"That boy is Henry Mills."

* * *

The woman in Henry's room hadn't noticed the two teenagers in the hospital. She was looking down at Henry, smiling wickedly.

"I might be a week off, but it has been fifteen years since you've been awake." She told Henry. Nothing in the town had changed, and she wasn't expecting too much to change.

However, as mayor Fiona left the room, she saw someone standing at the end of the hall. A man nodded at the mayor. She walked towards him.

"There has been an entrance into the town." The man explained.

"Go to the town line and block it off." Fiona demanded. She followed him out of the hospital. Any new stranger coming into the town was an immediate threat. If Fiona had looked back and seen who was now in Henry's room, she might have been able to come up with a solution before she had to deal with this problem.

* * *

"Henry has been in a coma for a while." Dr. Whale said, not giving any specifics on how long. Robin didn't see any professionalism in the doctor. The nurse said she had to go back to her station, and she was more professional to Robin than the doctor was. He merely left the two teenagers with a boy in a coma.

"He doesn't seem worried that we could do something." Neal commented.

Robin looked at Henry, shocked. "Neal, Henry shouldn't be this young." Robin stated. She placed the wallet on the table beside Henry. As she pulled out his backpack, she could see a pen sticking out of the bag. She grabbed the pen, noticing how old it looked. It was styled differently from the pens she used at school.

Placing the backpack under Henry's table, Robin wondered where she should put the storybook. She needed to make room on the table and placed the book on Henry, with the pen sitting on the book. Neal noticed the position of one of Henry's hands and placed it on top of the book and the pen while Robin was making room on the table.

Both of them were distracted by the table, so neither of them noticed Henry open his eyes. Henry looked around the room, feeling the book and pen under his hand. Henry looked at Neal and Robin.

"Where's my mom?"


	7. Chapter 5: Another Mother

Chapter Five: Another Mother

The gentleman the mayor had been speaking to in the hospital now stood at the pink town line. He had a purple bottle in his hand. Taking off the cork of the bottle, he held it upside down over the pink line and began to walk beside the line. As the liquid inside the bottle hit the pink line on the cement, it started to disappear. StoryBrooke was now officially sealed off.

Throwing the bottle into the woods, the man looked around. He could hear one of the workers in the forest by the side of the road.

"Mayor Fiona oughta know something, sir." The worker said.

"We had some trouble with another worker today. Escaped, but they are back at our place now. Apparently, there were two teenagers going to the town."

The man nodded, knowing that he would have to tell Fiona. He walked down the road that led towards the town, the green sign beside the road passing through his peripheral vision. The man wasn't the most keen about StoryBrooke. He preferred the Dark Realm.

* * *

Robin looked down at Henry, feeling relieved. It was an odd feeling, considering the fact that a boy had just woken up from a coma. Neal didn't know what to think, and sat on the ground before he started to freak out. He did not like being surprised.

"Where's my mom?" Henry asked again. He kept his hand firmly on the storybook while he shifted his other hand over and grabbed his pen.

"Why are you awake?" Robin asked. She was surprised at her gusto. Neal stood up and left the room.

"People tend to wake up after they fall asleep." Henry responded. Robin was glad Neal hadn't been in the room. His grandfather had died in his sleep a year earlier.

"Dude, usually that happens. But a coma patient doesn't usually wake up as I clear his table beside his bed." Robin explained. She indicated that she could put Henry's book on his table, but he kept it in his hand.

"I need to find my mom." Henry stated. Robin could see how panicked he was, and knew that the doctor would come into the room in a few moments after Neal told him what had happened.

"What's your mom's name, Henry?" Robin asked. It was a simple question that could calm Henry down and let Robin have a bit more information about the boy.

"Her name is Emma Swan." Henry said. "But she's not my only mom. My other mom is named Regina Mills. She's the mayor of the town."

Robin remembered the name Regina Mills when she had been looking through her baby book on the bus ride. She was apparently her godmother.

"What is your mom's phone number?" Robin asked. Henry gave both phone numbers for both his mothers.

"Emma is the sheriff." Henry said. Robin quickly wrote down both numbers. Dr. Whale came into the room, Neal wondering if he should follow. Robin nodded for him to come inside. Henry gave Neal a curious look as he came into the room.

Dr. Whale looked at Henry in astonishment. Henry smiled at Dr. Whale, but he was feeling extremely anxious as well.

"Dr. Whale, where is my mom?" Henry asked.

"The mayor will be here in a few minutes. She had just come in to check on you." Henry sighed, feeling a bit of relief. He looked over at Neal, seeing a resemblance between the teenager and his own grandfather, David Nolan.

Dr. Whale was checking Henry's heartbeat and looking over different files as one of the nurses came to the doorway of the room.

"The mayor is just looking over some of the paperwork for Henry." She explained. Dr. Whale looked at Robin and Neal, who were still a bit dazed by the whole situation.

"Kids, the mayor won't want you both in here while she reunites with her son." Dr. Whale explained. He pointed towards a door that was at the other side of the room. He then decided that while Henry was speaking with his mother, he didn't need his book or pen, so he took them from Henry's hands and put them in Robin's backpack, which had been sitting on the ground.

"She can hang onto these while you chat with the mayor." Dr. Whale explained. Henry didn't want to lose his book or pen.

"I can keep them in my backpack." Henry looked down at his bag on the ground, noticing that both straps were broken, and that the material of the bag was ripped and worn.

"It was in rough shape when we found it." Neal explained to Henry. Robin wrote down her phone number and placed it on Henry's table.

"I'll come back with your book and pen. Just give me a call when you're done talking with your mom." Robin said politely. Henry nodded, seeing familiarity in her face.

Robin and Neal left the room through the other door, deciding to go back to the front desk and ask where else birth documents might be held.

* * *

Henry could see that a woman was waiting to come into his room. She wore a black jacket, in the style that Regina usually wore. She had on long black pants and matching black high heels. Dr. Whale was finished examining Henry, ensuring that the boy wasn't dealing with anything else. Leaving the room. Dr. Whale stepped aside and allowed the mayor to come in.

"Hello, Henry."

Henry stared at the mayor of StoryBrooke, Fiona. The Black Fairy.

Henry's heart hammered inside his chest, recalling the memories from the town line. The Black Fairy was there, threatening Robin and Neal. Emma was unconscious.

"How are you alive?" Henry demanded bluntly. He thought his moms had defeated the Black Fairy. He presumed that they had saved the town, while Henry was unconscious. The Black Fairy gave Henry a wicked smile as she stood by his bed.

"By breathing, dearie. That is how humans live." Fiona retorted. She reached down under Henry's table and grabbed his backpack. She didn't notice how light it was.

"Where are my moms?" Henry demanded. He was speaking loudly, wanting Dr. Whale to hear him. He could see the doctor from outside the room, but he was giving Henry a concerned look.

"Well, last I saw Emma, she was sleeping right near the town line." Fiona explained. "And I had a friendly chat with Regina and your grandparents before I came to visit you and the Saviour."

Henry thought about when he had last seen the Black Fairy. Emma was going to take Henry, Neal and Robin over the town line to keep them safe.

"Your family didn't defeat me, Henry." Fiona said calmly. She stepped away from the bed, looking at Dr. Whale. The doctor came into the room.

"I think he may be delusional, doctor." Fiona explained. "He thinks he has two other mothers."

Henry looked at Dr. Whale is disbelief, but he saw the concern he had and realized that Dr. Whale didn't recognize him.

"He did just wake up from a coma, Fiona." The doctor explained. "He could have been having a dream and is having trouble justifying reality."

"I know who my family is." Henry spat. "Where is Regina Mills?"

Fiona smiled wickedly behind Dr. Whale's back, and sighed.

"Dr. Whale, the other ward might be best for Henry for right now." Seeing the terrified look on Henry's face, Fiona left the room with the nurse.

* * *

The Black Fairy stood at the fireplace in Regina's office, throwing Henry's backpack inside. She expected to see the pages of the storybook curl in the flames, but after a few moments she could only see the backpack. Waving her hand, the mayor placed her other hand inside the fireplace as the flames had diminished. She opened the backpack and didn't see the storybook inside. Reaching inside the bag, she couldn't feel the Author's pen. She made the fire reappear and threw the backpack inside once more.

The gentleman she had seen in the hospital was coming back into her office.

"There was some trouble with one of the workers." The man explained. "An escape attempt. But the escapee was caught, and there were two teenagers going into the town."

"I need to go check the town line." Fiona said. "Decide the fate for the escape artist, but no killing."

She disappeared in a cloud of magic.

Appearing on the road where she had dealt with Emma Swan, Fiona held out her hand. Closing her eyes, she imagined another type of magic coming into the town. Magic was the only way someone could get inside the town line.

Opening her eyes, Fiona didn't see her black magic in her hand. Instead, she saw green magic, then blue magic. It was magic she had seen before.

* * *

A nurse at the front desk was explaining to Robin that some birth documents are destroyed after a few years.  
"Usually families are warned ahead of time that the birth documents will be destroyed." The nurse explained. "They can come and get the information if they would like it."

"So my documents are gone?" Robin asked.

"I know that sometimes the mayor holds onto the documents for people." The nurse admitted. "It depends on the circumstance, such as if there is a dangerous situation or search for the family or the child."

Neal saw Dr. Whale walking down one of the hallways. Neal walked down the hallway and saw the doctor speaking with a gentleman.

"Is the boy in another ward?" The man asked.

Dr. Whale rolled his eyes. "Yes, you can tell the mayor that Henry has been moved. She was right to have a concern over his mental state."

Before the doctor could leave, the man had another question.

"She is also wondering about two teenagers." The man said. Neal felt worried, pushing farther behind the wall.

"There are a lot of teenagers in StoryBrooke. The mayor will have to be more specific." Dr. Whale spat back. The man grunted at the doctor, and saw the doctor leave. He went down another hallway.

The man pulled out a cellphone from his pocket.

"Ask them what the teenagers looked like." He demanded. The man walked away, and Neal went down the hallway that Dr. Whale had walked through. He saw him checking on one of the bulletin boards.

"Dr. Whale, can Robin and I return Henry's stuff to him?" Neal asked casually. Dr. Whale turned around.

"I'm afraid not. Henry is being kept in another ward and should be left alone."

Neal nodded, but decided that Henry shouldn't be left alone. Dr. Whale walked down the hallway to another bulletin board.

Neal walked down another hallway, and saw a tall man with long black hair holding a mop. He was behind a blue door that had a stairway behind it. He was staring at Neal.

Neal could see the hospital clothes the man was wearing, and wondered if he was in the ward that Henry was in. For some reason, Neal was determined to find Henry.


	8. Chapter 6: Operation Panic

Chapter Six: Operation Panic

Robin was still with the nurse at the front desk. Neal wanted to know where Henry was, and decided to leave his stuff with Robin.

Returning the blue door, Neal still saw the tall man with long hair staring at him. Neal walked to the door and stood in front of it. He could see a keypad beside the door, making Neal guess that he was getting closer to where Henry was.

Janice used to work in a hospital when Neal was younger, and he remembered that when he went to visit her, she had to go into the ward where the patients who were dealing with dangerous mental or physical ailments were kept. A code was required so as to keep people out of the ward. Dr. Whale had told the man in the hallway that Henry's mental state was not normal.

Neal looked around to make sure that there was no one to see him. He tried pulling on the door handle, but it wouldn't open. Neal didn't think the man on the other side of the door knew the code, or else he could have left. But he pointed at the keypad on his side of the door, and the man could see it through the little window in the door.

The man gave Neal a blank stare. Neal didn't know if the man understood him or not. Taking a shot, Neal decided to ask the man if he had seen Henry. When Neal mentioned the boy's name, the man nodded, and pointed at the keypad. Neal looked at it in confusion. What did the keypad have to do with Henry?

Robin was a lot better with puzzles than Neal was. Thankfully, she had finished speaking with the nurse and came up beside Neal. She smiled at the man behind the door, who kept pointing at the keypad.

"You know we can't type in the code and release him, right?" Robin asked Neal.

"I mentioned Henry's name and the man pointed at the keypad. I think Henry is in the same ward as this man." Neal said.

Robin looked at the staircase that was behind the tall man. "Why would they keep people downstairs, under the hospital? Is that legal?" Neal had no idea. The hospital Janice had worked in was a few floors, but Neal had seen all the wards where they kept patients, which were all above ground.

"Neal, we could always ask the mayor where Henry is." Robin said. "I was thinking of asking her about my birth records, which might be in her office."

Neal wasn't too sure about the mayor. She had left her son too quickly after he had just woken up from a coma.

Robin was about to make Neal go with her to the mayor's office when Neal noticed the mayor and the gentleman in a nearby hallway. Neal pointed her out.

"We can go ask her about the birth record." Robin said. However, Neal pulled her away from the blue door and hid in the entrance of another hallway. The mayor and the gentleman stopped in front of the blue door that led into the ward. The tall man behind the door stared at the mayor and the man, no longer pointing at the keypad.

"The kid refuses to point out what the two teenagers looked like." The gentleman explained to the mayor. "Said it would be easier to identify them if they weren't in a cage."

Neal felt his heart racing. _Did that guy just say a kid was in a cage? _

"Well, they'll have to be disappointed." Fiona sighed. She quickly looked at the keypad, swearing.

"The code is the boy's birthday. Grab his wallet from the table beside his bed." The man disappeared, Neal's guess to go look for the wallet. No thinking was required to put those pieces together.

* * *

Neal knew he was right that Henry was in the ward that was apparently underneath the hospital. The man had returned with the wallet and gave it to the mayor. She pulled out Henry's ID and typed in his birthday. The door opened and the two adults walked by the tall man behind the door. The man didn't try to stop the door from closing.

"Henry's birthday is the fifteenth of August." Robin told Neal. She had been scared that the mayor might have heard her speak to Neal.

"Okay, but I don't want to go down there while the mayor is there." Neal said.

"Fine. Why don't we go back and chat with Marco?" Robin suggested. That was a better idea than what Neal had.

* * *

The mayor looked at the nurse at the desk in the ward under the hospital.

"One of your patients is at the top of the stairway." She said nonchalantly. The nurse rolled her eyes as she left the desk.

Fiona and the gentleman walked briskly down the hall, going past the different cells. Henry and the tall man on the stairs were the only occupants in the ward, but Fiona knew of someone who would soon join the cells.

"That child who refused to cooperate will be spending a bit of time here." Fiona explained to the gentleman as they walked.

Finally, there was a door that they stopped in front of. Fiona waved her hand in front of the door, and watched it open.

Henry glared at the Black Fairy as she stepped into the room. The gentleman stood in the hallway, seeing the nurse from the desk usher the tall man into his room.

"I believe that this is a perfect cell to keep you in." Fiona smiled wickedly at Henry. It slightly irked her that she was his great-grandmother.

"Where is my family?" Henry demanded. He wanted to stand up, but felt himself stuck on the chair that he had been sitting on for the last little while.

"The question that needs to be answered is where is that storybook?" Fiona demanded. "And where is the Author's pen?"

Henry didn't answer the mayor. Part of the reason was because he didn't want to help her. The other part of the reason was that he didn't know. The girl and boy who had seen him when he woke up had the book and pen. Henry had the girl's phone number still with him, grabbing it while the doctors took him to the "crazy ward". The phone number was hidden under Henry's pillow on his bed.

"I don't have the book or the pen." Henry decided to answer. The man waiting in the hallway immediately came into the room and began to search. He didn't find the book or pen in Henry's room.

He had thrown Henry's pillow into the hallway, revealing the phone number. Fiona grabbed it and looked at the name written above the set of numbers.

She felt her heart race as she began to realize the threat she was now dealing with. She had seen the magic at the town line, and Henry had proof that the girl was in the town. One of the only two children to have ever escaped her…

"What does she look like, Henry?" Fiona demanded. Henry hadn't looked at the name above the phone number, hadn't understood who he had reunited with while he was lying on his hospital bed. However, Henry did presume that Fiona was talking about the girl that had visited him.

Henry wanted to know where his family was. Part of him wanted to bargain with the Black Fairy, but he knew that he wouldn't receive the right answer. Besides, guilt would eat him whole if he thought about how he pointed out who the girl was to the Black Fairy.

Deciding to play the dumb card while also getting an answer to a new question, Henry acted with panic.

"What girl?" Henry asked.

The Black Fairy stared into his eyes, and Henry wondered if she could read minds. But this wasn't a fantasy movie. Though the Black Fairy could use magic, Regina had explained to Henry that supernatural powers like mind reading were not possible for magic users.

"Robin." Fiona answered.

Henry had his turn of feeling his heart race as he remembered the two toddlers that had got over the town line when the Black Fairy came back to StoryBrooke. His younger cousin Robin Hood had escaped the Black Fairy. The girl who had seen him in the hospital was his younger cousin, who was now fifteen years older and therefore now his older cousin.

Henry immediately began to remember all the details he had noticed about Robin, and knew that if he revealed what she looked like, the Black Fairy would find her and probably kill her. But what torture would the Black Fairy put Henry through if he didn't answer her questions?  
Henry could hear the nurse in the hallway of the ward. She wouldn't allow the Black Fairy to do too much, or else the doctors in the hospital would be brought to the ward.

"Where is my family?" Henry repeated the question. His voice was louder. The man looked at the nurse worriedly.

"I won't let you know unless you tell me what the girl looks like." Fiona answered.

Not wanting to sound too insane to the nurse, Henry thought of a logical question that a teenager would ask his "mother" who didn't have a husband.

"Where is my dad?" Henry asked loudly. The nurse's head poked out from behind the desk. The Black Fairy didn't understand what Henry was trying to do.

"Where is my dad?" Henry yelled at the Black Fairy. He could hear the nurse leave her desk. Fiona grabbed Henry's arm and squeezed it tightly.

"You have no idea where you'll end up if you don't give me an answer." She spat.

The nurse stood outside the cell.

"Madame mayor, why is he yelling?" Fiona turned around as she let go of Henry's arm. Feeling the need for more drama, Henry fell onto his bed, letting in pretend exhaustion from the struggle of trying to determine where his father was from his "mother". Sadly, Henry knew that he couldn't see his dad again.

The nurse went over to Henry with his pillow. She placed it under his head and looked at the mayor.

"He's going to need to sleep." She explained. Henry could see the Black Fairy leave with the man, and saw her take Robin's phone number.

* * *

Neal had gone back to the blue door, and saw the mayor and the gentleman leaving the hospital. Neal texted Robin and waited in front of the door. Robin came over with her backpack.

"Okay Neal, why are we going to see Henry?" She asked.

"We want to give him his stuff back." Neal answered.

"I know you aren't a fan of the mayor, but we could give his stuff to her." Robin said. But Neal didn't think that was the best idea.

"Robin, did you hear the gentleman tell the mayor that there was a kid in a cage? I don't like the mayor, nor do I trust the mayor." Neal typed a few numbers on the keypad.

"Robin, there is something wrong with a mother who immediately sends her child to another ward after he just woke up from a coma." Neal explained.

Robin nodded, and walked behind Neal as he went through the blue door and down the stairs.

They saw the nurse at her desk.

"The boy just fell asleep." The nurse explained, assuming that Neal and Robin didn't want to see the tall man from earlier.

"Can we at least give him his book and pen back?" Robin asked. The woman nodded and led them to Henry's room. She opened the door. Henry was still lying on his bed.

"You can put the book and pen on his bed. The door needs to be closed after." The nurse said. She went back to her desk, dialling the mayor's office's number.

Henry had heard the nurse and watched Neal and Robin come into his room. Neither of the teenagers were aware that Henry was awake. Neal was grabbing the book from Robin's backpack.

"Robin?" Robin turned around to face Henry, forcing Neal to swagger on his feet. He fell onto the floor, the storybook on his lap.

"Hey Henry." Robin greeted, assuming Henry knew her name from reading the piece of paper. Henry stared at Robin, then quickly glanced at Neal.

"My name is Neal." Neal greeted. Henry's heart raced as he stared at Neal, trying to find similarities in the boy and Henry's grandparents. Neal looked the exact same as David.

Henry sat on his bed, holding out his hand. Neal placed the book in his hand. Robin grabbed the pen out of his backpack and placed it beside Henry.

The storybook looked the exact same, as did the pen. But Henry remembered how broken his backpack was. He had noticed his wallet looked extremely old. It was currently on the nurse's desk.

"How did you get to StoryBrooke?" Henry asked. Neal had the map he had been given in Geography class. He gave it to Robin, who had placed it on top of her baby book.

"Neal was given a map of Maine in his Geography class. I was sent a baby book that said that I was born in StoryBrooke, Maine." Robin said. She gave Henry the baby book, holding out her hand. Henry swapped the baby book with his storybook, allowing Robin to look through the pages.

Likewise, Henry opened Robin's baby book and saw the picture of Robin Hood holding his baby. Henry felt his chest clench as his looked at the man who he believed would have been his stepfather. He saw Regina's name written down in the book, saw the drawing of StoryBrooke that he himself had created for his little cousin.

As Henry looked back up at Robin, he saw Emma's necklace around her neck. It was the token that Neal had given Emma when they were a couple. He didn't want to scare Robin by declaring that the necklace belonged to his mother.

Henry felt his chest tighten in fear, realizing that Neal and Robin were standing in front of him. Neither of them were two-years old.

"How old are you two?" Henry asked.

"I just turned seventeen." Robin answered.

_Seventeen? Robin and Neal are seventeen, the Black Fairy put me into a coma fifteen years ago._

Henry stood up, giving Robin her baby book back.

"I need to leave this cell." Henry said to the teenagers. Robin gave him a wary look.

"Henry, Dr. Whale thinks that you might have some…mental problems." Robin said. Neal rolled his eyes.

"Really, it was the mayor who thought you had some issues. And I feel kind of bad for admitting it, but Henry your mother is not someone I like."

"I don't take any insult because she isn't my mother." Henry admitted. "And she isn't supposed to be the mayor."

* * *

The Black Fairy listened to the nurse explain who was visiting Henry over the phone.

"So, two teenagers came into the hospital and found Henry? What did the teenagers look like?"

The nurse explained that she didn't have a good way of describing them, other than that one was a boy, who had blonde hair, and one was a girl, who had red hair. As the nurse spoke, the Black Fairy looked down the street, not too far from the hospital.

"Yeah, the kids are really nice. The girl had some stuff of Henry's and wanted to give it back it him. She had an old book and pen, and she put them in his room."

The Black Fairy felt her heart race.

"She did what?" She shut off her phone and walked back towards the hospital. The gentleman she had been with earlier was taking care of a problem elsewhere.

The Black Fairy walked back into the hospital and saw Dr. Whale with one of the nurses at the front desk. He was trying to get the nurse's phone number.

"Dr. Whale, have there been two teenagers with Henry today?" The Black Fairy asked, changing her tone as she tried to act like a proper mayor.

"Yes, there were some teenagers before. They had seen Henry in his hospital bed. They wanted to visit him again afterwards, but I said that he needed to be left alone."

"Well, very good job explaining, because the nurse downstairs told me that there were two teenagers visiting Henry right now." The mayor spat back.

"I doubt the children mean any harm." The nurse in the desk interjected.

"I don't want Henry having any visitors right now." The mayor commanded. "I am going to go downstairs and get them out."

"Wouldn't that be giving Henry another visitor if you went down to his room?" The nurse asked. Mayor Fiona glared at her.

"Mayor Fiona, the nurse downstairs will bring the teenagers out of Henry's room. Besides, didn't that girl have some questions that the mayor could answer?" Dr. Whale asked. The nurse nodded.

Fiona rolled her eyes and looked at the nurse.

"What questions would I be answering?"

"The girl was trying to find out information about her family. She said that she had been born in StoryBrooke but hadn't grown up here." The nurse explained. Dr. Whale called the nurse downstairs in Henry's ward.

* * *

The nurse got out from behind her desk and stood at the other end of the hallway.

"Teenagers, the mayor is wanting her son to be left alone. The doctor wants you to go upstairs."

"How come the mayor can control what happens to you so much if she isn't your mother?" Robin asked Henry.

"I don't think you would believe me." Henry admitted. Emma had had a hard time believing Henry about the curse that the Evil Queen had set over StoryBrooke. However, Henry had gone straight into the meat and potatoes of the situation. Perhaps he could justify what was going on with the mayor without making Robin and Neal assume that he did belong in the ward he had determined as "crazy".

"To explain it quickly, the mayor is evil." Henry started.

"She isn't supposed to be the mayor. My mom Regina is."

"Is your mom's name Regina Mills?" Robin asked.

"Yes. But I don't know where my family is located. " Henry said. He was worried about how Robin and Neal felt about his story. He knew that he would be able to explain it properly if he could admit to the teenagers that Fiona was the Black Fairy and almost kidnapped them as toddlers.

"Why does Fiona keep stating that she is your mother?" Neal asked.

"My family has a history with her. It's not a good history, and cannot really be explained in a short amount of time. That storybook you brought me is really important."

"How come?" Robin asked warily. She was really starting to become concerned about Henry, and Neal was no help at the moment. He was looking down both sides of the hallway.

"My grandmother gave it to me when I was younger. It was supposed to bring me some hope when I was struggling." Henry stated. "This is making you worry about my mentality, isn't it?"

Robin slowly nodded. Henry understood, but he was scared of what the Black Fairy would do to him and Robin and Neal if she was able to destroy Henry's book. What was really worrying Henry was how the Black Fairy would react with Robin if she remembered what had happened at the town line…

"Look Henry, I am concerned. But what is really bothering me is why you are so afraid of the mayor." Robin explained.

"Because of what she did to my family. And the fact that I don't know what she did to them."

Neal thought about the mention of a child in a cage, as he overheard the mayor speaking with the gentleman from earlier.

"Well, I say we have an escape." Neal declared. Robin looked over at her friend, seeing the seriousness of his stature. Neal stared at Henry, ignoring Robin.

"Henry, you have to tell me something slowly and clearly." Neal remembered how Wyatt would help Neal when he was younger. Neal would blubber to his dad of something that was bothering him, but Wyatt didn't know what it was. So he would squat down in front of his son, look him in the eye, and ask his son to speak slowly and clearly.

"Neal, you need to tell me slowly and clearly what is making you scared." Wyatt stated. He spoke in a tone that he wanted his son to mimic, and Neal would explain to his dad what was scary. Nine times out of ten it was something silly, but once it was a nightmare Neal had. He had seen a yellow car with a woman lying in front of it, and a figure on the road in front of him and two other people. They were dressed in some black clothing, and stared at him. Wyatt had said that Neal shouldn't be scared of nightmares.

Neal really admired how well Wyatt had done raising him to be brave, and did the same thing his father would do if he was speaking with Henry. He used a slow and steady tone, one that he wanted Henry to mimic.

"Henry, you need to tell me slowly and clearly what is scaring you." Neal said. Robin was not expecting the tone, but she immediately knew that Neal was acting like Wyatt. Robin had known both of them very well. Wyatt had even used the same technique with Robin when she was feeling anxious.

Henry stared at Neal, standing a little straighter. Neal assumed that Henry was feeling comforted by his tone that he had learned from Wyatt. He didn't know that Henry was feeling comfortable because he thought he was looking at a younger version of his maternal grandfather.

"I'm scared of the mayor, and what she did to my family. I'm scared of what she will do to me, and to you two." Henry stated. He wished David had used this technique before when he was younger.

Now Neal's face went white.

"Why are you worried about the mayor and us?" He asked slowly, but more quickly than when he had been speaking before.

"She is not just pretending to be the mayor. She's trying to hide the biggest truth about herself from everyone." Henry said.

Before Robin thought about telling Neal that they should go upstairs because she was now feeling extreme anxiety, Neal looked down the hallway.

"Is the mayor upstairs?" He asked.

"Yes, and she wants to speak with your friend."

Henry stared at Robin. He was going to tell Robin that she couldn't go back upstairs, he was about to blurt out the explanation of the Black Fairy and her anger against Henry's family, but he knew that Robin wouldn't take it.

He also knew that she couldn't take it, because he saw how white her skin was, and noticed how rapidly she was breathing. She sat on Henry's bed and was taking big, heavy breaths.

"Neal, I'm having trouble…"

Neal was now glaring at Henry, and Henry wondered why he was mad at him.

"Promise me that this woman is a threat." He demanded. Henry nodded quickly, but Neal needed to know in words.

"I promise." Henry walked up to Neal.

"Neal, she would hurt Robin."

Neal walked past Henry and knelt beside Robin. Janice had explained what a panic attack was for people with anxiety, which Robin had been diagnosed with when she was fifteen. He felt horrible thinking about it, but an idea had come into his head that needed to use Robin's panic.

"Henry, put on Robin's backpack and put your stuff in her gym bag." Neal demanded. He looked down the hall and called the nurse.

"Can you help my friend? She's having a panic attack." Neal yelped. The nurse rolled her eyes and came down the hallway. She walked into the room, with Henry standing away from the bed and Neal standing by Robin.

The plan Neal had didn't have any elaborate steps. Most plans he had seen involved a distraction, which Robin had produced accidentally. Henry was going to quietly get out of the room and run down the hallway, but the nurse wanted to see him while she helped Robin.

Neal looked at Henry and knew that the next part of the plan would be mean to the nurse. Henry ignored the nurse demanding him to be beside the bed and ran down the hallway. Neal helped Robin stand up and pushed the nurse onto the bed. She was face down on the bed and Neal pulled Robin out of the room. He closed the door behind them and knew that it locked automatically. He and Robin ran down the hallway behind Henry.

Henry stood at another door in the ward and opened it. Neal and Henry walked with Robin up the stairs, and opened the door that led into the upper parts of the hospital. The three teenagers walked down the hallway and left the hospital.

They were on the opposite side of the entrance, and Henry remembered about his half-aunt's house on the outskirts of the town.


	9. Chapter 7: There's No Place Like Home

Chapter Seven: There's No Place Like Home, and a Weird Explanation

Robin's anxiety was getting worse. Though they had stepped out of the hospital already, Neal pulled Robin back inside and had her sit on one of the chairs in the main entrance. Her breathing wasn't getting any better, and sadly Neal didn't know how to help her any further.

"Do you have any experience with anxiety?" Neal asked Henry. Henry wanted to explain about all the anxious moments he had dealt with since he was ten years old, thinking about the different villains he and his family had faced. However, he knew that it wouldn't be helpful in this situation. That anxiety was over the fear of failing and losing those he cared about. Robin's was different, focused more on the fact that she had just arrived in a new town and broken a kid out of the hospital "crazy" ward. He shook his head.

Neal grabbed his phone from his bag. "Is there anywhere I can buy a bottle of water and a snack?" Neal asked. Robin needed something to drink, and a bit of food wouldn't be a bad idea. Henry pointed down the hallway.

"But what about the mayor?" Henry asked. He was worried about Robin, but he was more worried about what would happen if he and the others were caught. Henry would be sent back to his cell with a strait jacket, Neal would be arrested, and Robin…the Black Fairy would finish what she had started fifteen years before.

Neal looked down the hallway, and sighed.

"Take Robin out of the hospital, and maybe go to the diner or something. Find somewhere she can calm herself down, but not in front of a bunch of people." Neal directed.

"I can take her to my aunt's house." Henry explained. "Its on the edge of town, we can wait there for you." Neal nodded, and went down the hallway.

It seemed like a waste of time for Neal to go looking for food and water when he could easily grab something at Granny's. But to be honest, Neal wanted to learn more about the mayor. He wasn't anxious like Robin was about the whole situation. He was flat out scared about this woman. First, she ditches her "son" in a secluded room underneath the hospital after he woke up from a coma. Second, he hears about some kid being held in a cage and she just goes along with it. Then Neal finds out that the mayor isn't actually Henry's mother and is some sort of villain, and she has something against him and Robin. They didn't even know who she was!

Neal was confident that Robin would be able to relax after a few minutes. Time outside did her a world of good, whereas being in the hospital made her panic. Neal felt the same way, and wasn't exactly thrilled to be waiting in the hospital still. But he wanted to find the mayor, and find out more about, well, anything that could help him make sense of the insane situation he was now caught in.

Neal turned the corner into another hallway and saw the mayor. She was standing by herself, looking at a piece of paper in her hand. It must have been a series of numbers, as she kept glancing at the paper while typing on her phone. She then put the piece of paper in her coat pocket and put the phone to her ear. It rang for a moment or so, and then the mayor started speaking, making Neal's heart race.

"Henry has met the two children. They're much older now, I didn't know how much time has passed. That child you were speaking of earlier, send them back with the others, there is no need for them to come here anymore, but I will be dealing with them shortly. When the two brats come upstairs, I will have the boy arrested. Henry has most likely created a crafty tale, so now we can't let the boy leave. We'll send him to work. But the girl…."

The mayor didn't finish what she was saying. Dr. Whale peeked out from the left side of the hallway, looking at the mayor in alarm.

"The nurse downstairs was locked in Henry's room. He and the other two teenagers escaped." He explained. Neal found enjoyment hearing the frustration in the mayor's voice as she followed the doctor down the hallway. But his heart was beating quickly, and fear was now taking over his mind.

* * *

Henry held onto Robin's bags as they walked down towards Zelena's farmhouse on the edge of town.

Henry remembered that fifteen years ago, Zelena had actually sold the property and was going to be moving into the town with her daughter, Regina deciding that her mansion was large enough to hold two more people. However, Zelena and Robin were still living in the farmhouse when the Black Fairy returned. All of their belongings were still at the house. Hopefully.

Henry glanced over at Robin, wondering how she was doing, and was surprised to see how calm she had become. He could see tears in her eyes, but they were not falling down her face. She was more relaxed, instead looking at the different buildings and stores they walked past. Granny's Diner was up ahead, and Henry decided that he and Robin could meet Neal there since Robin was feeling better. But Robin paused in front of Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop, looking through the window. Mr. Gold was in the back room of the store, counting how many books he had on his shelves. Robin wanted to go inside, but Henry said they shouldn't.

"The owner can be, intimidating." Henry excused. Truth be told, he didn't want to see his grandfather. He didn't know what would happen when Mr. Gold saw him if anything. Rumpelstiltskin had been tricky when it came to curses. It was clear that the town was under another one since no one in the hospital recognized Henry. But Mr. Gold had been able to get through the Evil Queen's curse. Maybe he could get out of this one.

But Henry wasn't ready to find out. He and Robin went into Granny's Diner, and Robin offered to buy him some food. Robin noticed that Henry ordered hot cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon, just like Neal had.

Robin was more worried about the situation at hand. They had just left the hospital, and weren't too far away from the scene. The mayor or anyone else could come into the diner and then everyone would be caught quickly. Neal was still in the hospital for some reason. Robin knew that he was suspicious about the mayor, and was concerned that that suspicion would cause him to do something stupid.

"So Henry, I have a few questions that you should answer." Robin stated. Usually she would have been more cautious in this type of situation. But Robin was anxious. She had just finished having a panic attack, and needed to find out what was happening. There were some seriously scary facts Henry gave Neal and Robin.

Henry nodded, looking nervous.

"I can take a guess as to what you want to know, so why don't I explain first and you ask anything else that is bugging you." Robin nodded in agreement.

"So, the mayor isn't my mother. Not super odd, kids get adopted all the time. But the thing is, Fiona didn't adopt me. I don't want to sound weird, or freak you out, but the mayor cannot be trusted. She's evil, and she did something to my real family."

Robin took a deep breath, drinking some of the water Granny had brought over. Granny had also brought over some vegetables for Robin to snack on, recognizing her anxiety when she came into the diner.

"Alright. So what happened to your family?"

"I don't know. I remember that Fiona hurt my mom, but then, I fell into the coma." Henry explained.

"And I don't know what happened to my other family members. My other mom went with my grandparents and aunt to talk to someone else in the town about something concerning them, and my other grandfather and his wife were elsewhere with their son. My stepfather had gone down to the harbour to check something out."

"So, how does mayor Fiona relate into all of this?" Robin asked cautiously. She didn't want to make Henry upset, but she was having a hard time believing him. She wanted Neal to be with her so he could help out, but he was doing something else that was probably not helping the situation.

* * *

Fiona wandered into Henry's room, seeing nothing left over after he left. The nurse had explained that Henry had ran out of his room, while the boy she didn't know had pushed her onto the bed and gotten Robin out of the room. He locked the door and the two teenagers left the ward. No one else had seen them in the hospital, and Fiona didn't know where they were heading.

The Black Fairy pulled out her phone and typed in a familiar number.

"They're gone. All three of them. Henry got those two children to help him escape. Send some of the workers to go out into the town to look around. You know what Henry looks like, describe him. If he is by himself, bring him to me. But if the other two are with him, find me first before doing anything."

Fiona hung up the phone and left the room, glaring at Dr. Whale.

"This is a fine predicament we are now in, doctor." She spat. Dr. Whale's flirtatious grin was gone, and he was now filling his expression differently. He was concerned about Henry's safety.

"Those two teenagers could be criminals, what if they hurt Henry?" Dr. Whale asked.

"I don't think they are criminals, but they are dangerous." Fiona decided. "I have some people out looking throughout the town for the three children. Henry will be brought back here when he is found, and this time he will be kept here longer than thirty minutes." Fiona walked past the doctor and nurse, who cursed the mayor quietly under her breath. She had heard the mayor interrogating the young boy when he was by himself. Anyone would want to escape if that mayor was their mother.

Going back upstairs, Fiona pulled out another piece of paper from her pocket, typing in a new number into her phone. She placed the piece of paper back in her pocket and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello Robin. It's Fiona, Henry's mother. I'm worried about him and you, Robin. I want Henry to be safe, and I want to help you. Call me back when you can." The mayor hung up the phone, clenching her hands into fists as she slipped her phone into her pocket.

* * *

Neal wouldn't say that his plan was stupid. Sure, he wouldn't admit that it was a smart plan, but it was a plan, nevertheless. Well, sorta. Neal had overheard the mayor's conversation on the phone. He heard how she felt about Neal and Henry, yet was concerned about Robin. At one point, the mayor wants her out of the way. The next moment, she wants to help Robin. Maybe it was a trick?

Neal's plan was pretty vague as he followed the mayor out of the hospital. First, he wanted to find out where her office was, so he would know how to avoid it. Of course he could ask Henry, but remembering what the mayor said, she was sending goons to go look for her "son". Neal was now nervous to be seen with him, but more for Robin's safety. Neal was fine with a bit of risk, but Robin was basically his sister. He swore to his parents that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Thankfully, Neal knew that Robin and Henry were heading to Henry's aunt's house. However, when Neal checked his phone, he saw a text from Robin, explaining that she and Henry were eating lunch at Granny's. Neal smacked his head. He needed to hide Henry and Robin so that way no one would find them. Sighing, he left the hospital and saw the mayor get into her car. Thankfully, she drove in the opposite direction of the diner. He jogged over to Granny's and saw Henry and Robin leaving. He caught up with them.

"We need to get to your aunt's house. Right now." Neal let the urgency sink in, but he didn't allow any panic. He saw that Robin was calmed down and he didn't want her to become anxious once more.

* * *

Henry didn't state the name of his aunt. He couldn't remember if Zelena's name was in Robin's baby book, and he didn't want to have Robin asking questions if she connected the names because Henry didn't know how to explain their connection to each other. The matter of Robin's family was complicated enough in a normal situation. Adding all the fun details of magic into the mix might send Robin off the deep end. Or worse, agreeing with the Black Fairy that Henry should be in the crazy ward.

Arriving at the farmhouse, Henry looked over at the cellar that was in the middle of the field in front of the house. Zelena had held Rumpelstiltskin there after everyone thought he was dead, using him to help her build a time traveling portal. But of course, that was once upon a time.

Henry located the house key, which was located in the front basket on the bicycle that sat on the front porch. Henry saw another one inside the house, wondering who it was for.

Letting Neal and Robin inside, Neal immediately asked Robin if she needed to check in with Jack about track recruitment. Henry gave Neal a curious look, but Robin admitted that it wasn't a bad idea to check. Going into the kitchen, Neal dragged Henry into the living room, closing the door.

"The mayor is sending goons after us to find you." He spat out. He wasn't mad at Henry, but he wasn't exactly thrilled with him either. Too much was going on, Neal felt like he and Robin were in danger. They had been in town for only a few hours. He was surprised at the amount of trouble they had caused already.

"I overheard her talking on the phone. She then tried to call Robin, explaining how she wanted to find you and help her." Neal explained.

"Why does Robin want Fiona's help?" Henry asked.

"Fiona might have some of Robin's birth records. She's trying to find her family." Neal admitted. Henry felt guilt make his throat feel tighter. He knew all about Robin's family, considering that it was his family. Her mother was once the Wicked Witch of the West, and her father was once a great hero…

"Henry, how do we stop this?" Neal asked. Henry could see the concern in his eyes, which were the same colour as Emma's. Henry felt immediate dread and was terrified of going against the Black Fairy. He needed to explain to Robin and Neal about their past, and how the Black Fairy has been in StoryBrooke before…but how? That wasn't exactly an easy conversation to have. It was one that would require a lot of belief, which Henry didn't think Neal and Robin currently possessed. However, Neal seemed easier to convince about the mayor, whereas Robin was more concerned.

Henry sighed, and tried to remain calm. How would he explain to Neal about his family? How would he explain how dangerous the Black Fairy was?

Neal stared at Henry. "You come from a rough situation and I get it. Robin and I have interesting histories as well. But now I'm concerned about this mayor. Why would she want you locked up so badly? What has she done to your family in the past?"

Henry looked up at Neal, and reached into one of the bags he was carrying. He pulled out the storybook and handed it over to Neal.

"This is going to be a long explanation."

* * *

"Isn't it weird that school's been cancelled for a little while?" Jack asked Robin. Robin agreed, wondering how the timing worked out so well. She and Neal were headed to Storybrooke, and then suddenly school cancels out and she doesn't have to worry about any new work and falling behind.

"It is really strange. I'm sorry that I can't be there to train with you guys during the time off. Personal stuff." Robin said.

"No big deal, I hope it works out on your end. Coach said that she is impressed with your running stats, and for sure is excited for you to join the team. She already suggested an extra exercise for you to use when you're not running. She wants you to try biking so you can work other leg muscles."

"I'll try that, and see how much biking I can get done. Is there anything else I should work on?" Robin asked.

"Nothing yet. Coach is busy working on exercise plans for her athletes on the track team, but told me that she is setting up one for you, even though you are not officially on the team by school rules. But you should be qualified when you get back, so just focus on biking around. And try to get a few sprints into your daily runs as well."

"Thanks Jack, I'll try." Robin ended the call and looked back at the missed call she had from earlier. Before she could answer the call, her finger slid on the screen of her phone and she accidentally deleted it. _Crap._ If the person really needed to get a hold of her, they would keep calling until Robin answered the phone.

Robin then looked over at the living room. Both doors were closed, which surprised Robin. She couldn't hear what Neal and Henry were talking about, so she decided to explore instead. There was another room that was in the hallway closer to the back door. She opened the door and walked into an old nursery.

She noticed the dust covered crib, the paint from the wood chipping in different areas. The room was a light green colour, with brown accents that reminded Robin of the woods. She noticed a small arrow painted on the wood of the crib, then another one on the wall as it was notched in a bow. She then noticed another arrow on the door, and a metal arrow on the windowpane. The theme of the room seemed to revolve around this weapon. It reminded Robin of the famous character who shared her name, as well as Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games.

The room was bright considering how old it looked. The floor was dirty, but not with old clothes or any trash, just a lot of dust. How long had it been since anyone had been inside the room?

Robin saw a baby monitor beside the crib, thinking of the ones that Neal's aunt used to monitor her baby. This monitor was old in comparison.

There was a wooden chest in one corner of the room, but Robin started feeling weird. Something was throwing her off. Maybe the dust was getting to her head.

Leaving the room, Robin thought about the phone call from the mayor. Robin knew that she and Neal were way in over their heads. They shouldn't be helping Henry because it was clear that something was wrong. Sure, the mayor did seem kind of suspicious with her son. But Henry didn't seem to be thinking normally. He talked about how the mayor had done something to his family, and Henry didn't know where they were. He made it sound like the mayor was the leader of the Mob.

_Could the mayor help me find my family? _There was a chance that Robin's records were in the mayor's office. Robin was nervous about talking to the mayor after everything that has happened, but she sounded so calm on the phone, as if she wasn't blaming Henry or Robin for everything that has been happening.

Robin felt like she should talk to someone about this. But Neal and Henry were talking. Right now, maybe Robin just needed some space. Opening the door to leave the house, Robing quickly sent Neal a text on his phone. She wanted to take a walk, but as she was about to leave, she noticed the bike inside the house. The one outside was rusted and in bad shape, but the one inside looked to be in decent shape. There was dust collecting on its wheels, but none of the chains had rusted. Pinching the tires, Robin felt how pumped they were, and decided to take Jack's advice. A bike ride would be a nice change of pace.

Maybe Robin should have waited for Neal and Henry. She didn't know about the people that Fiona had sent around StoryBrooke. However, the people also didn't know what Robin looked like, since neither Fiona nor her main goon could give anyone else a description. As Robin rode into the main area of StoryBrooke, she noticed different men and women, all either thirty years or younger, roaming around the town. They gave her curious looks, but avoided looking directly at her if she looked at them. So Robin was undisturbed as she rode through the streets, avoiding the hospital. She passed by large and small buildings, waving at Granny as she passed by the diner. She then noticed Mr. Gold's shop, and decided that she wanted to look inside.

She pressed on the brakes of the bike right outside the door of the store, and hopped off. Hopefully Mr. Gold wouldn't mind if Robin brought the bike inside, since she didn't have a lock for it.

Struggling with the door, Robin entered the store as the bike wheeled in, being careful not to hit anything. She found a space near the door where she could park the bike, and put down the kickstand.

* * *

Mr. Gold had heard the bell of the front door, and stepped out of the back room. He smiled at Robin as she looked around, having that funny feeling from before when he first saw her and Neal.

"Welcome to the pawn shop. Is there anything in particular you are looking for?" Mr. Gold asked. Robin shook her head, looking at Mr. Gold. His hair was fully grey, not with the small specks that Wyatt had in his hair. He was a thinner build, wearing a nice suit with a grey tie and holding his cane. He eyed Robin curiously, which didn't make her uncomfortable, but rather confused. It was as if he was trying to recognize her.

"I'm afraid that I don't really have anything that I would like to buy. I was just interested in seeing what the store looked like from the inside." Robin admitted. She looked back at the bike she rode.

"Actually, do you by chance have any bike locks?" She asked. Mr. Gold thought about it for a moment, and nodded.

"I'll grab one from the back." He left the store through the curtain that went into the back room. Robin noticed different objects in the room, seeing glass unicorns hanging down from strings above one of the shelves. There was a barrel of swords on her right, with a certain one sticking out to her. It had a red jewel in the centre of the hilt, shining in the small amount of sunlight that peeked through the window. On one of the bookcases behind the shelves on her left, Robin saw a sheath of arrows on the top shelf, while a brown bow hung on the bottom. Robin couldn't help thinking of the famous hero from the story that she tended to avoid.

Mr. Gold came back into the store, holding an old bike lock.

"This one just requires a code, no key necessary." Mr. Gold explained. Robin looked at the price tag and grabbed her wallet. Her wallet was open on the countertop, and Mr. Gold noticed her ID card. He saw that her birthday was in three days.

"Your birthday is coming up?" Mr. Gold asked. Robin saw the ID card and nodded.

"I'll be seventeen." She said. Mr. Gold smiled.

"Your parents must be upset their daughter is growing up too quickly."

Robin shrugged. "I honestly don't know how they feel about it." She replied.

As Robin counted her change, Mr. Gold peeked at her card once more.

"Robin Hood? That's an interesting name."

Robin rolled her eyes. The man wasn't sounding rude, she was just tired of all the comments she received about her name.

"I guess so. I don't know why they chose it." Robin said.

Mr. Gold shrugged. "Why don't you ask them?"

Robin felt her throat tighten. "I suppose that would get me an answer."

Mr. Gold noticed the tense answers Robin was giving him, deciding to lay off on any more annoying questions. But he did notice the necklace Robin was wearing, and for some reason became sad.

Robin paid for the bike lock and thanked Mr. Gold. She looked at a few more items, keeping away from a couple of creepy puppets, and decided to pick up some groceries at the small store nearby.

"You can come back here for birthday present ideas. I'm sure you'll find something." Mr. Gold stated.

Robin rolled the bike outside and looked down the street. She noticed that a gentleman across the street was looking at her, and he seemed to be wondering if he should cross the street.

Mr. Gold then came out of the shop and held something out for Robin.

"I hope this isn't a bother, but I thought you might appreciate it. Make you proud of the name you have." Mr. Gold held out a book for Robin, and she took it. Mr. Gold saw the man across the street, who looked at Mr. Gold and then walked away.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold." Robin said. She put the book in her bag and biked down the sidewalk. The man from across the street had paused to watch her bike away, but looked back at Mr. Gold. He was keeping an eye on the man, wondering why he was interested in Robin.

* * *

Neal was looking through the pages of Henry's storybook. Neither he nor Henry heard Robin leave, and both presumed she was talking with Jack or sleeping.

Neal gave quick glances to the different stories he saw, giving most of his attention to the story about Snow White. He took a look at Snow White, and saw that she had the same green eyes that he had. And Prince Charming looked exactly like he did, just older.

"So, I'm looking at these stories…and not learning anything." Neal admitted. Henry rolled his eyes.

"I say you keep looking. Towards the back especially."

Henry hadn't been able to keep track of every detail for the adventures that he had been on, but different stories ended up in that book. Neal and Robin's births were in the book as well, but Henry wanted Neal to skip those for awhile. He first wanted Neal to notice another character.

Neal kept flipping through the pages until he reached the last few. This story's title was **The Final Battle**

Neal looked at the pictures, with Henry flipping him a few pages ahead so he would see certain illustrations. One picture stuck out to Neal, and Henry was thankful that he remained on that page.

In the picture was the Black Fairy, but she was dressed like a regular working woman. Pantsuit, high heels, business jacket. She smiled wickedly into a fire as a blonde woman stood in front of the flames, watching something burn. Neal looked at what was written underneath:

_The Black Fairy smiled wickedly as she watched Emma burn the book, knowing that soon, the rest of her family's fate would be sealed._

"How come the Black Fairy looks exactly like the mayor?" Neal asked Henry.

Henry took a deep breath, wondering how he was going to explain. But Neal stepped in.

"Are you saying that Fiona is the Black Fairy?" He asked.

Henry coughed, struggling with the breath he took in, and nodded.

Neal looked back down at the book, then back at Henry.

"Um, I think this conversation is getting weird."

Henry was starting to feel anxious. Neal was going to think he was crazy, and tell the Black Fairy where he was hiding. Then all three teenagers would be in trouble.

"So, I guess you don't believe me?" Henry ventured.

Neal looked at the book, placing it on the couch and standing up. He looked at Henry.

"I believe that there is something wrong with the mayor. I don't know if she is this woman you pointed out, but I know that there is something off about her. So, I'm going to take your word for it, and treat this situation as if she is the Black Fairy."

Henry felt his anxiety fade, and was ridiculously happy. Neal looked down at his phone, seeing the text from Robin.

"And since I agree that Fiona is not what I would call a good guy, I suggest we do something about Robin before she gets caught by Fiona or her goons."


	10. Chapter 8: Right and Evil

Chapter Eight: Right or Evil

Henry was feeling mixed emotions. Neal believed him, kinda. He didn't think that Fiona was the Black Fairy, but he did believe that there was something wrong. So Henry was feeling good in that sense. The mixed part? Robin had left the house and was in town while there were goons from the mayor looking for Henry. So Henry was feeling scared in that sense.

Neither of the boys realized that Fiona didn't know what Robin looked like, so neither of them realized that she was actually pretty safe. There were some suspicious glances from some of the men and women searching the town, but none of them tried to grab Robin or told the Black Fairy.

Neal cursed out loud, realizing that he couldn't move. It was like chess, where either move would allow the opponent to defeat you. He couldn't go looking for Robin because of two reasons: if some of the goons came looking for Henry and saw him alone, they would grab him and that would be the end of that. Also, Robin headed out on the bicycle, which meant that she was covering more ground and already in town.

But Neal didn't want to leave Robin alone. If he went by himself to look for her, he probably wouldn't be bothered. But the goons might give Neal a second thought and go after him.

Neal called Robin.

"Hey Neal, I'm grabbing groceries from the store." Robin greeted.

"Why did you leave?" Neal demanded, panicking. He then remembered that Robin wasn't aware of the goons.

"Neal, relax. I just needed some time to myself. Henry is acting really strange and I'm starting to worry…"

"Robin, I promise that you don't have to worry about Henry." Neal mouthed an apology to Henry, but Henry wasn't upset. He presumed that Robin thought he was insane.

"Robin, right now I need you to come back. I overheard the mayor in the hospital-"

"Neal I might go ask her about my records. I need to have answers, Neal."

"No Robin don't!" Neal begged. Henry grabbed the phone and put it on speaker, silently apologizing to Robin for invading her private conversation. But he wanted to hear what was going on.

"Neal, the mayor could have my file, she could help me find answers about my parents." Robin pleaded.

"Robin I wouldn't." Henry interjected, realizing that he should have stayed quiet.

"Henry? Neal why is this on speakerphone?" Robin demanded.

"Robin, I know you think I'm insane, but just hear me out. You cannot trust the mayor. She's not the type you want to deal with." Henry said. He didn't say evil, he didn't say villain. He didn't want to concern Robin with certain terms.

"Henry, I don't know where else I can get answers."

"Robin, you could be arrested by the sheriff, you helped someone leave a hospital crazy ward." Neal stated.

"Fiona didn't sound like she wanted to get me in trouble. She sounded genuinely concerned for Henry and wanted to help me."

Henry and Neal didn't respond. Neal didn't know what to say, but Henry was thinking. He had the answers that Robin wanted, but she probably wouldn't believe him. But if Robin went to the mayor's office…Henry knew that she wouldn't return.

Henry started whispering with Neal.

"Neal, I think we should steal the files from the mayor."

Neal gave Henry the thumbs up and was about to tell Robin. Henry shook his head rapidly.

"You really think she'll have a good reaction to this plan?" Henry hissed. Neal thought about it for a moment and agreed.

"How do we convince Robin not to go the mayor's office?" Neal asked.

Henry covered it.

"Robin, at least don't do it tonight." Henry said.

"There will be too much panic right now. Even if Fiona was genuine in helping you, it would be better to go another time." Henry explained.

"Okay Henry, I'll think about going tomorrow." Robin said. Neal smiled at Henry, happy to see that he had a friend who liked to have quick, bold, outrageously stupid plans like he did.

"So what am I buying at the store?"

"A lot of hot cocoa." Both boys stated.

"And chips. And just food." Neal added.

"I'm glad I'm the one who is shopping." Robin said before hanging up.

* * *

Robin had always enjoyed shopping for groceries. In fact, it was a chore that she had suggested she could do at her house. Bill and Tina were happy with the idea, giving Robin a debit card that was only to be used for groceries.

Robin liked to be able to pick the food that she ate. She wasn't picky or anything, she just liked to be able to choose. But she obliged her friends and grabbed chips and cocoa. She was stocking up fairly well, and decided to grab a cart.

As Robin came back into the store, she saw that a shorter gentleman wearing coveralls had dropped his groceries, cursing. Robin quickly helped grab his food and placed it in her cart. She offered the cart to the gentleman, who nodded at her.

"Thanks kid. Who're you?" He asked.

"Robin. What's your name?" Robin asked.

"Can't you read the shirt?" The man pointed at the nametag on his chest, which said Leroy.

"Nice to meet you. Have a good day." Robin went to grab another cart and continued shopping.

As she picked out something simple to make for dinner, Leroy came by, giving Robin a small smile.

"Jeez, do you have enough groceries?" He commented. Robin rolled her eyes, but not rudely.

"I have a couple of people to feed besides myself." Robin explained. Leroy pointed to one of the objects on the shelf beside Robin, and she grabbed it for him.

"I thought you would be able to use your words, Leroy." Robin looked behind her, and saw a woman around her height. She had shoulder length dark brown hair, and was slender in her business outfit. She was very pretty and gave Robin a pleasant smile. However, the look she gave Leroy made Robin nervous.

Leroy felt the same way. He grabbed the box Robin was handing him.

"See ya later, Rebekah." He said. He saw one of his friends down another aisle and joined him.

"Rebekah isn't a common name in this town." The woman complimented.

It was interesting, because the names Robin had heard in the town so far had been uncommon names, at least to her. Marco, Henry, Leroy.

"It's nice to meet you Rebekah, my name is Fiona." There was the last example to prove Robin's point. Fiona wasn't a common name, and what a coincidence that it was the woman who bore that name that was the one to run into Robin at the grocery store.

Robin didn't know what else to say. She was feeling extremely nervous now. This woman's son was currently hiding at a farmhouse with Robin's best friend because the two of them had helped Henry escape. And this woman may have had the documents about Robin's parents that she had been looking for, but she couldn't say anything. If she had, Henry would be put back in the ward, and she and Neal would be arrested.

Standing awkwardly, Robin didn't know what else to say.

"Do you know where the cinnamon is?" She asked. Fiona nodded, and led Robin to another aisle. Robin grabbed two things of cinnamon, not knowing or caring how much the boys would need. It had been an interesting day so they might go through a lot of hot cocoa.

"So Rebekah, I'm assuming you know a few people in the town." Fiona said. Robin thought about what Wyatt would say about assuming, but nodded instead of saying anything.

"I'm afraid one of the patients in the hospital has gone missing. A young boy who is struggling with some difficulties. I need to get him back to the hospital and help him out." Fiona explained.

She sounded concerned about Henry, which caused confliction in Robin's mind. Henry said she was evil. But she thought Henry was having issues. Could both of them be wrong?

"There were also two teenagers who helped the boy to leave. I'm worried about them as well, and I want all three of the children safe."

Robin felt comforted, and wanted to tell Fiona who she actually was. But as she looked at Fiona and her smile, something threw Robin off. The smile…it seemed…. wicked, and was bugging part of Robin's mind. Kind of like Deja-vu.

The mayor looked down at her basket. "I'm not really feeling up to making anything for dinner tonight."

"Granny's has some good food. I ate the chicken salad sandwich and enjoyed it." Robin commented.

The mayor looked at her and smiled.

"Sounds like a good idea. I shall let you finish your shopping. Have a pleasant evening, Rebekah."

The mayor walked away, and Robin felt comforted about meeting her in person. Maybe if she went to the office tomorrow, it wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

* * *

Robin was gone for about forty-five more minutes, which helped Henry and Neal come up with some ideas. It was insane to decide to break into the mayor's office, but since she was apparently Henry's mom (according to everyone else except Henry and Neal), it wouldn't be seen as breaking in for a family member. Of course, Henry knew that the Black Fairy wouldn't be thrilled with that excuse for breaking in, but Henry really didn't care.

Henry was wondering if this was all a little rushed. But when it came to the Black Fairy, he couldn't sit around. It had been fifteen years since she had caused his coma and separated his family members from each other. Something had to be done.

Robin came home and saw Henry helping Neal with his fairy tale assignment. They had opened Henry's storybook and were looking at Snow White and Prince Charming. Neal was also using his laptop to write notes and looking at other information sources online.

"How far are you in the fairy tale assignment, Robin?" Neal asked.

"I haven't even started." Robin answered, handing Henry two bags of groceries. Henry stuck them in the fridge and sat down again.

Robin sighed, looking at the ground.

"Henry, I apologize if I am making you feel bad. I'm just feeling awkward about the whole situation." Robin explained. Henry smiled at her, not worried about Robin's reaction. He was expecting it.

"It's alright, Robin. I just…the mayor isn't someone to be trusted." Henry was careful with how he worded his explanations.

Robin nodded, still feeling awkward. Henry didn't push anything because he didn't want to make Robin feel any worse. He looked at the assignment that Robin and Neal had been given in their English class. It was an odd assignment to say the least, considering that fairy tales were not a subject usually covered in a high school's senior class. Except at Henry's school, but that was because all of the pupils were from the Enchanted Forest.

* * *

A few hours had passed. Neal was taking a nap in the living room, explaining to Robin that the events of the day had drained him. Robin surprised Henry by asking if he could time her while she did sprints on the road in front of the farmhouse.

Henry sat on the fence and kept track of the time on his phone, calling out the times to Robin as she ran. She was very quick, using the new shoes Neal had bought for her birthday and wearing the sports hoodie Janice and Wyatt had given her.

"So, is running the only sport you do?" Henry asked curiously. He was sitting with his cousin, unbeknownst to her. It had been fifteen years since Henry had seen Robin, and she had grown up quite a bit, now older than him. Henry wanted to know about her, to find similarities between her and her parents, as well as Regina.

A small pang of jealously blew through Henry's core as he realized that Robin was actually related to Regina, whereas Henry was only adopted.

"Well, I like to swim as well. But running is where I focus the most of my time. And I enjoy biking." Robin said. "I just hope your aunt doesn't mind that I am using one of her bikes."

Henry smiled. "She won't care."

Robin nodded, sitting on the fence beside Henry.

"I don't know why Henry, but I have been having strange emotions since coming into StoryBrooke. And it's not just because Neal and I helped you leave the hospital."

Henry looked curiously at Robin, and started balancing the similarities she had between Zelena and Robin Hood. She had Robin's eyes, but her hair was closer to Zelena's red curls. Her personality was more her own, yet she was more cautious like her father. The anxiety Robin dealt with wasn't something either of her parents went through, but then again, neither of them had the childhood Robin had.

Speaking of which, Henry was really curious about Robin's life. Neal had explained about his life with Janice and Wyatt, but admitted that he only knew a few years about Robin's. The two had been best friends since they were twelve years old, but that was ten years of Robin's life that was still a secret to everyone else. Neal was convinced that Robin had told Janice about it, but Robin didn't seem to want to share with anyone else.

"So Henry, if you don't mind me asking, what was life like for you here?" Robin asked.

Henry sighed, thinking about his past. For the first ten years of his life he lived with the Evil Queen, who was the mayor of the town. He then ran away to find his birth mother, who helped break the Evil Queen's curse and saved the town. Then a whole new adventure happened when Emma and Snow White went back to the Enchanted Forest, Cora came back, Henry was kidnapped and taken to Neverland, Peter Pan almost killed his family. Then even more drama was caused when the Wicked Witch of the West came, Elsa and Anna came from Arendelle, Cruella de Vil died after trying to kill Henry. Henry became the Author, Zelena was pregnant with Robin, and Captain Hook went to the Underworld. Then Hades came, killed Robin Hood, and The Merry Men went to the Enchanted Forest.

More people from other realms came to StoryBrooke, Gideon was kidnapped by the Black Fairy, and then the Black Fairy made an appearance and tried to destroy Henry's whole family.

"Um, it was pretty interesting growing up." Henry said.

Robin nodded. "Was there a mistake on your ID card? It said you were sixteen years old fifteen years ago, but you don't look thirty-one years old."

_Crap. How was that going to be explained? _Neal hadn't bothered Henry about his card, still confused about how Henry though the Black Fairy was real and was now the evil mayor of the town. But Robin was more observant.

"There could have been a mistake made on the card. It depends who made it." Henry answered.

"Okay, because I was wondering about it. You would have been in a coma for fifteen years otherwise." Robin noted.

Okay, the reminder was not making Henry feel better. Fifteen years had passed by, and Henry didn't know what had happened since then. Thankfully Neal and Robin had grown up healthy and strong, unharmed by the Black Fairy. But he didn't know what had happened to the rest of his family.

"Yeah, that would be insane." Henry responded. His whole life was pretty insane if he was being honest.

* * *

Neal had fallen asleep for two hours, which wasn't too bad. He had tried to stop taking naps during the day, since it wasn't helping his schedule with school and other activities. Plus, Neal had been thinking about getting a job, so the naps wouldn't have a place in his schedule anymore.

Sitting up on the couch, Neal looked out into the kitchen and saw Henry and Robin outside on the fence. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he hoped that Henry wasn't worrying Robin with anything else.

Neal put his head in his hands, contemplating the decisions he had made today. For some reason, he wasn't worried about what he and Henry wanted to do. He was trusting a sixteen-year old that he had just met, helping him escape from a hospital and now working with him to break into the mayor's office.

His common sense must have been off duty, because clearly the plan was crazy, and Neal was being really stupid about it.

Well, other people would think that, but Neal didn't agree. For some reason, Neal trusted Henry. He didn't trust the mayor. Neal was having a hard time believing what Henry said about the mayor being the Black Fairy in disguise, but he did know that something was wrong. It wasn't a normal situation Henry was in. The kid's family was apparently missing, and these were not normal circumstances. No one else in the town seemed worried about Henry's family. Maybe they thought he was crazy, or maybe they didn't know.

Thinking about the people in the hospital, Neal grabbed his laptop and punched in a few key words. Looking on Google, he did a search about the ethics of underground wards in hospitals. According to the sites he read, which were articles made by doctors with psychology degrees and human health studies, it was illegal to have wards underground for the sake of the patients. It was healthiest for patients to have rooms above ground so they could enjoy the views outside the windows and the fresh air from when the windows were open.

Well, that stuck out to Neal. The hospital that the mayor left her son in was technically holding patients in illegal underground cells. There was one reason to feel nervous for Henry's safety.

Neal closed his laptop, thinking about his parents. Not the biological ones that he didn't know, but about Janice and Wyatt. How would they feel about Neal breaking into the mayor's office?

A memory came to mind as Neal thought about his parents. It was from about five years ago, around the time Neal met Robin, a few days before.

Wyatt had gotten in trouble at work. He was working for another facility at the time, farther away from the house. It was a well-known facility in the city, popular for the activities it provided. Wyatt had a good position in the facility, leading some of the activities for children with special needs and with children in special circumstances.

A situation had come up at work, where Wyatt was told by his superiors that a certain file was to be kept under wraps from customers. Wyatt instead looked at the information in the file, and reported it to higher authorities.

There was a new program available in the facility that was considered harmful in other community centres in other cities. The program was cheap and easy to maintain, but the equipment used for it was faulty and ended up costing a young woman her leg. Wyatt refused to leave the matter alone, and ended up breaking the rules, as well as the law, by letting the customers know. Everyone's money was refunded to them, and Wyatt lost his position.

Neal asked his father about it later on, and Wyatt had a good explanation for it:

"It was wrong, Neal. It was wrong what people in power were doing to customers. The program they wanted to run was a guarantee to make money, but it was a shifty program, causing more than physical injury. Having that kind of power over the people, the one that causes intentional pain for an evil sake, is not what I wanted to support."

Neal never found out what the program was because Wyatt was asked by the police and city council to not discuss it with anyone else. Not even Janice knew, but she respected the privacy that was needed by the city.

Closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath, Neal thought about the situation his father went through, and the situation he was dealing with now. Henry was caught in a situation that was harming him. His family was gone, and he was left alone. The way Henry talked about the mayor, she sounded evil.

However, for Wyatt's situation, he had more information. Before Neal was going to break into the mayor's office, he needed more information from Henry. No matter how crazy it sounded.

* * *

A few more hours had passed. Robin was in the living room, sleeping on the couch. Neal told Henry that he thought Robin might be out for the night. She liked going to bed earlier in the night than other teenagers, since she needed a lot more sleep to be able to function properly. Also, she'd had a weird, long day, and some good training with Henry.

Henry and Neal sat in the kitchen, discussing what they were going to do. Henry told Neal about when the mayor would be leaving her office, though Henry wondered if Fiona would actually leave. Surely, she had something set up in case Henry tried to break in.

Something Henry had noticed about all the villains he faced was that none of them were dumb. They were all smart in their plans, knowing what to set up against the heroes so that their plans would succeed. Most of the times their plans failed because they weren't expecting the heroes to be so strong, or wise about the situations they were put in.

But the Black Fairy was dealing with teenagers now, and only teenagers. She didn't have any adults to worry about, how devious would her planning be against three kids?

"So Henry, I need a bit more information about Fiona." Neal stated. Henry became worried for the umpteenth time, wondering how Neal was going to feel about his response.

But Neal surprised Henry, explaining what his dad Wyatt had gone through.

"My dad had broken the law, but for a good reason. He read the information he was given and knew that people's lives would be risked if the program was run. You say that people's lives will be risked if we don't do something right now. But I need to know what Fiona has done so I can help you stop her."

Henry sighed. "Are you going to be worried when you hear how crazy the story sounds?"

Neal looked Henry in the eyes, seeing the genuine fear he had. He was scared that Neal would think he was crazy. Neal shook his head.

"I won't think you're crazy."

* * *

So Henry was going to tell Neal about the Black Fairy, but he decided that they should head into town to get to the mayor's office. Neal agreed, telling Henry that he wanted to hear about the mayor on the way. The boys grabbed their backpacks and quickly looked in on Robin. The room was very dark, so Neal presumed that Robin was lying on the couch.

What neither of the boys knew was that Robin was in the nursery she had seen earlier. She had gone into the room when Henry and Neal had gone upstairs to go to the bathroom and get their things.

She knew what they were planning on doing. She wanted to stop them now, but she knew that if she tried, they would go anyway, waiting until she fell asleep or just trying to convince her that the plan was a good idea.

Well, Robin had a plan of her own, and left with the bike when the boys went back upstairs quickly.


	11. Chapter 9:Shine Bright like a Flashlight

Chapter Nine: Shine Bright like a Flashlight

Robin was able to get down the road from the farmhouse a few minutes quicker than she had earlier in the day. Of course, earlier in the day she wasn't worried about the boys breaking into the mayor's office.

_How could Neal think this was a good idea? How can he be trusting Henry so easily?_

Robin didn't know what was going on with Neal. Maybe it was the way he was raised; Janice and Wyatt had taught Neal to not only feel sympathy for other people, but to be empathetic to their problems as well. Robin hadn't learnt anything of the sort from Bill and Tina, whom she thought were going to be getting a divorce filing any day now.

For some reason, that really bothered her. Robin didn't look to Bill and Tina as proper parents. But they made sure that she attended a good school, and was eating properly. Tina helped Robin buy new clothes, and would sometimes be interested in what activities Robin was doing in school. Bill wasn't as good at being a supportive foster parent, really only caring about hearing the races that Robin won. She didn't think he was even impressed with her second place in the cross-country race she had done a few days ago.

Both of her foster parents were crazy dedicated to their work. Bill worked in a regular office management job, and Tina worked in the hospital management. Neither spent enough time with each other, except for the quiet moments they spent arguing and yelling at each other.

They were another reason why Robin was so eager to find her family. Sure, she knew if her situation became really bad, she could go live with Janice and Wyatt. But she didn't want to be more of a bother than she already had been.

Robin wanted to get away from Bill and Tina. Life at home was starting to become toxic, and Robin had more trouble focusing in school. She didn't tell Neal because she was scared what Janice and Wyatt might do. Or better yet, who they might contact.

Therefore, Robin was terrified of Neal and Henry breaking into the mayor's office. She didn't want Henry to be sent back to the hospital and didn't want Neal to be arrested. And when it was found out that Robin was still in foster care, she didn't want to be sent back to Bill and Tina, or uprooted from her life in the city if the system found out how lousy her foster parents were with her.

Pausing to take a breath, Robin realized that she needed a minute to cry. Her breathing wasn't short because of the riding, she was having another panic attack. This one was smaller and easier to handle, but Robin still didn't want this to keep happening. Ever since she had gone into StoryBrooke, her anxiety was raised a few levels. It was because she was scared of finding out about her parents. She was scared about what Henry and Neal were trying to do. And for some reason, she was scared of the mayor.

* * *

Neal and Henry walked down the road, grumbling about not having a quicker way to get into town. Henry thought they could use the bicycles, but Neal took a look at the one on the porch and said that it was too risky. There was too much rust on the chains and the tires were flat.

Henry wondered if he could try to get Regina's car from her house. Henry knew where the keys usually were, but didn't know if the car was there. The last time he had seen Regina, she and Zelena were going to see the Blue Fairy.

"Hey Neal, did you see Fiona leaving the hospital when you headed over to Granny's?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, she was driving in the opposite direction." Neal responded.

Okay, so Regina's car was not available. And he didn't know where Emma's yellow punch buggy was located.

"Should I tell you about the mayor now?" Henry asked. Neal looked over expectantly at him.

"I think it would be a good idea."

"Alright, and you said you weren't going to think I was crazy so I'm holding you to that." Henry warned, but for some reason he couldn't see Neal thinking he was crazy.

* * *

Neal didn't think Fiona was the Black Fairy. However, he did know that there was something wrong with the mayor and the town that she ran. He had heard too many things about this woman that caused him to worry about what type of person she was. Thinking about what Wyatt had done to protect anyone who might have been hurt during the program made Neal more confident in Henry's plan of getting into the office and finding the records for Robin. Truth be told, Neal wanted to see if he could find any other information in there as well.

So Henry talked about the mayor, and he didn't bring up too much stuff about the Black Fairy. Henry explained that Fiona had come to the town before, and had tried to take over by separating Henry's family. So this round of Fiona being the mayor seemed to be round two, and she was victorious at the moment. Henry's family had been separated before and his mother Emma was the one to save the day and save his family, while his grandfather ended up defeating Fiona. (Henry didn't mention that Mr. Gold had actually killed the Black Fairy)

Neal listened to the story, and was becoming more and more scared of this plan. He still wanted to find out what the mayor was up to, but the mayor was sounding familiar to Neal.

After a while, Henry and Neal ended up walking into town, seeing Granny's Diner on their right. There were some of the mayor's goons wandering through the street, so Neal and Henry ended up panicking and going down the street near the hospital. Again, there were more goons.

"Are we actually going to be able to get to the mayor's office?" Neal hissed. Henry nodded.

"I think we should split up. Like you said, the goons will come after me." Henry said.

"But they could still pester me!" Neal reminded Henry. Henry cursed quietly.

"Well, we could always run for it, but that might catch their attention." Henry replied.

"There isn't any other way to get out of here without grabbing their attention, is there?" Neal asked.

Henry didn't know what their next move was, when he saw the three goons outside the hospital start to huddle. One of them was holding a cell phone, showing the others what was on the screen.

"What do you mean she escaped? Again? Contact the Black Fairy, make sure she knows. And find that kid!" One of the goons yelled. The three goons separated, leaving the hospital alone. Henry looked over at Neal, seeing his expression. As they walked towards the mayor's office, Henry listened to Neal muttering behind him.

"Did they say Black Fairy?"

* * *

Robin was near the mayor's office. The building was down the street. The people that she had seen roaming the streets before were still there, looking at the different teenagers that walked by. If it was only a group of girls, the adults didn't pay attention to them. They would look at groups of kids with boys and girls, who were all sixteen or older.

It stood out to Robin as odd, and was making her more nervous than ever. Robin hadn't had the most balanced childhood, but she had been safe in the homes she had lived in. Well, to a point. But she felt nervous riding down the street on her bicycle, wondering who these people were looking for. She wanted to assume that they were looking for Henry, but it would be cops that would be sent to find him, not random people who stayed hidden as much as possible and didn't question anyone about where Henry could have been.

Finally arriving at town hall, Robin found a small area in the front of the property with a large tree and bench. She parked her bicycle behind the bench, locking it to the metal frame.

Next, Robin sat down by the tree, looking at the town hall. There were more people roaming the area, as if guarding the building. Was the mayor inside? Could Robin talk to her before the boys got here, and stop everything from happening?

Part of Robin was tempted to go inside and explain everything to Fiona. Henry and Neal were going to make a stupid decision.

However, Robin didn't want to go inside the mayor's office. There were people in front of the office, she didn't want to get in trouble. And with the way Henry was describing his adoptive mother, Robin was starting to doubt the woman she had met at the grocery store.

All Robin knew was that she had to stop Henry and Neal. That was the one task she wanted to complete that evening. Maybe the next day, Robin could go and speak with the mayor.

What bothered Robin was why Henry and Neal decided that this was a good idea. The baby records could be garnered another way, it would have been illegal for the mayor to refuse Robin if she wanted to see them. But for some reason, the boys wanted to go the illegal route themselves and bother the mayor by breaking into her office.

Henry was really scared of this woman. And now Neal was agreeing with Henry. The mayor did concern Robin, considering that her son was left in a ward underneath the hospital after he had just woken up from a coma.

* * *

Henry and Neal stood at the tree that was on the other side of the front property of the town hall. Henry was wondering how he and Neal were going to get into the building.

"Would there be as many people behind the building?" Neal asked. Henry shrugged, and the two boys went to the back of the building by going into the woods behind the town hall.

As they walked through the woods, Henry thought about the Enchanted Forest. When he had been younger, he had imagined that every time he was in the woods in StoryBrooke, he was just travelling through realms and was inside the Enchanted Forest.

As Neal and Henry walked, Henry noticed something farther into the left of the woods. Henry walked away from the town hall for a moment, seeing a large cave. It wasn't one that he had seen before, and he could see torchlight inside. He swore that he could hear something hitting rocks, multiplied a hundred times.

"Henry, the town hall is this way!" Neal beckoned. Henry nodded, wondering what was inside the cave.

As he and Neal walked back towards the town hall, they heard voices ahead of them.

"Come on you louts, someone could be there!" Henry and Neal sprinted for the town hall and hid behind a tree right behind the building. A group of men and women ran into the woods towards the cave.

"Wonder where they're headed." Neal commented. Henry realized that the group of people who had run into the woods were the ones who were guarding the front of the town hall.

"I think the coast is clear."

* * *

Robin was still at the other tree that was on the other side of the front property of the town hall, wondering what she should do. She felt anxious about what she should do next, considering that there were a few ways that Henry and Neal could get into the mayor's office.

Robin was waiting and caught in what she considered a panicked standstill, where she knew a decision needed to be made but she couldn't figure out the best one. Henry and Neal could go through the front, since she noticed that the men and women who had been guarding the front of the town hall had suddenly dispersed to the side and behind the building. Or, Henry and Neal could be going through the back and just caused a noise that grabbed the adults' attention.

_Oh man, Robin! Just go into the building using the front door!_ That sounded like a good plan, until Robin heard something near by. It was a small squeal. Looking to her right, Robin could see a side street of StoryBrooke that ran away from the town hall. She then noticed a short figure running down the street, and judging by their look, they were young. Three adults were following the child down the street, running after them.

Robin squinted at the adults, and realized that they were like the other ones she had seen around the town. They were in black, not really matching in their clothing choices to each other, and none of them were cops. Which meant none of them probably had a good reason to be chasing after the kid.

Sure, maybe one or two of them could have been the kid's parents, but Robin didn't think so. The circumstances disagreed with that consideration.

Grabbing her bicycle, Robin decided that Henry and Neal could deal with their problem, and therefore face their consequences.

* * *

As Robin rode down the street, she passed by the sheriff station and was surprised that the kid hadn't run into it to see if the police could help. Robin looked over at the building, seeing that some of the windows were broken and the door had been knocked in. The lights were all out, no one available to help the kid.

Riding behind the three adults as she made sure she kept her distance, Robin was starting to doubt herself about worrying about Neal and Henry. Neal was worried about the mayor because of what Henry said, and Robin assumed he was being gullible. But she was seeing proof in the town that there was something to worry about.

A few more miles passed, and Robin was impressed with this kid's endurance. They were now going down the road that Neal and Robin had come across to get into the town earlier in the day.

Parking her bike on the side of the road, Robin put down the kickstand behind a pile of stones that once seemed to hold a sign. There were two old wedges of wood along the top of the flattened stone pile that could have been for a sign. But Robin knew that another sign was farther down the road.

Deciding not to move closer, Robin noticed that the young kid was faced away from the adults, looking like they were hitting something that Robin couldn't see.

Their fists were hitting in the air, and the kid was frustrated. The three adults looked at the kid in amusement.

"The town is under lockdown, Charlotte. No one is leaving."

_Lockdown? Was there some kind of bug infestation?_

Another of the adults was slipping something back into their pocket. Based on the millennia they were in, Robin presumed it was a phone.

"The Black Fairy knows, she'll be here soon to grab the kid."

_Black Fairy? Is that a codename for the "boss"? _Robin thought about the Mob immediately, or a group of gangsters who had names for their leaders. The Black Fairy was an interesting moniker, but it didn't really rattle the bones like the name "Demon Eater" would. Robin almost started laughing, for some reason finding amusement in the situation. Hey, it was the adult's fault for mentioning the name.

Robin could hear the little girl crying in front of the adults. She still wasn't looking at them, instead hitting her fists in the air.

"Tell us what the two teenagers looked like, Charlotte." The third adult demanded. Charlotte shook her head, and Robin swore she could hear the kid curse at the adult. Well, this kid had guts.

"The Black Fairy will find out for herself, and you know her methods aren't exactly welcoming."

_Is she going to turn the kid into a toad if she doesn't talk? _

Robin heard the girl cry again and reminded herself of the situation. It didn't matter who this Black Fairy was, a kid was in danger from three adults. There didn't seem to be a police station in town to contact. Robin felt her heart race with anxiety because she needed to act as an adult. She had to help this kid out.

Grabbing her bicycle, Robin took a deep breath, and pulled her hood over her head.

* * *

Neal and Henry ran around the town hall and went through the front door, immediately hiding behind the welcome desk. Henry had heard the Black Fairy's shoes on the stairs outside the building, but didn't want to get locked out.

Henry sat in the corner of the welcome desk as Neal sat more exposed near the side that opened out so that the receptionist could leave.

The mayor walked down the stairs while she spoke on her cellphone.

"So you found the child? Good. The town line wasn't a smart decision, was it? I'll be there soon, the guards have returned to their positions around the town hall."

Henry was preoccupied with something else that Neal didn't notice, so he ended up listening to the mayor instead. He was converted to his belief that the mayor was not exactly the best person, but now he was becoming worried about how bad she was. She almost seemed, as Henry put it, evil.

The way she spoke, how she referred to the people around her building as guards. Neal thought about the Evil Queen in Snow White.

Neal thought about the cages that the big goon in the hospital had mentioned. Kids inside them. Now the mayor was going after another kid, would they be added to the cages too?

Neal didn't want to go through with this plan of Henry's and his anymore. He wanted to find out where this kid was, and help them instead.

"Is that crying I hear in the background? Good, try to keep that up." The mayor hung up the phone and left the building. She locked the doors behind her.

Neal felt his throat tighten. He didn't think one of the mayor's goons was crying in the background of the phone call.

"She's going to hurt that kid, Henry." Neal stated. But Henry was focused with something else. He had looked down at his phone, having received a call on it. He plugged his earbuds into the phone and listened, realizing that Robin had called him by accident.

Robin wasn't at home. The phone Robin had was amazing for picking up conversations, because Henry heard the woman on the other side of the line of Fiona's call through Robin's phone.

"Well, we could ditch this plan and go help Robin." Henry suggested.

* * *

Neal and Henry decided that they would ditch their plan and go help Robin. There were a few reasons that the boys had for this decision: Robin was in over her head. There was a young child in danger. The mayor scared both of them and they were worried about Robin and the kid.

All in all, the boys had some good reasons to leave the office. However, they didn't realize that the mayor hadn't gotten very far in her car. It was in the parking lot, and Henry and Neal went behind another car and saw the mayor grab her keys. Neither of them had been noticed by the guards around the town hall, who were still working their way to the front of the building when Neal ran and hid behind a car as Henry whacked his head on one of the side windows.

"Good evening, madame mayor." Henry recognized Mr. Gold's voice, and saw him come across the grass that was in front of the parking lot. The mayor looked up at the man and smiled.

"How are you this evening, Mr. Gold?" Fiona asked, still looking for her keys. Neal wondered if the man the mayor was speaking to could see him and Henry. Part of him thought that the man was maybe buying them some time, or doing something to help them out.

"I'm not too bad. Ran into a visitor this afternoon in my shop." Mr. Gold explained.

_Crap. He's a sellout. Robin was in the shop earlier to buy the bike lock._

"A visitor in our town?" Fiona pondered.

"She was very kind. Young, not yet seventeen. Her birthday is in a few days." Mr. Gold explained. Henry was quietly banging his head against the car he and Neal were hiding behind.

"Mr. Gold, didn't Leroy set up security cameras in your shop?" Fiona asked. Henry felt his heartbeat grow quicker. _She'll know what Robin looks like. _

"I believe he did, but I don't know if its been working recently." Mr. Gold tried to excuse.

"Why don't I pop over in the car and take a look at the tapes in an hour." Fiona suggested.

"Or, we could go over now and see them. Take a small walk." Mr. Gold suggested.

Fiona rolled her eyes, but agreed. She walked beside Mr. Gold and left her car.

Henry and Neal stood up a minute later and looked at the car. Henry saw that it was Regina's car, and didn't feel bad as he started breaking into it.

"Henry, we don't need the car." Neal said, not thinking that it could help them get to the town line.

"Neal, I have seen Mr. Gold before, and he wouldn't ask the mayor to walk over to his shop and leave her car. It isn't super convenient to walk." Henry looked in the backseat of the car and smiled. He saw a file folder with Robin's name written on the side.

* * *

Fiona walked into the Pawn Shop behind Mr. Gold, ignoring all of the different items Mr. Gold was selling. She walked behind him into the back room, looking at the small T.V. that he had.

Mr. Gold pressed a button on the machine, and Fiona saw a recording of the store from earlier in the afternoon. However, she could only see the back of the young woman, and the tape was playing in black and white.

"This doesn't help, Mr. Gold." Fiona had gritted her teeth.

Leaving the store, Fiona went back to her car and got inside.

However, she couldn't start her car. What she didn't know was that Neal was a pretty good mechanic, and was able to do a few tricks to her car's engine. Grabbing her phone, Fiona called the group of goons who were at the town line with Charlotte.

"What do you mean there's a bit of a problem?"

* * *

Robin was not as risky as Neal was. She was terrified of what his plan would enfold. However, her current plan wasn't exactly considered genius. Riding her bike down the road, she rammed into the back of the biggest adult, falling off of the bicycle. She stood beside Charlotte, who had turned around as she heard the tall man curse on the ground.

Charlotte couldn't see Robin's face, but she recognized her clothing and immediately stood behind Robin. Robin was the only one worried about her. One of the adults was on the phone again.

"Please stop them." Charlotte pleaded. Robin didn't answer because she didn't have an answer.

Robin didn't have another plan to follow the one she had just executed. She was not exactly aware of how Charlotte would react when she came beside her. She wanted the kid to run.

"This is one of the teenagers that the Black Fairy is after." One of the two remaining adults stated.

"Is the Black Fairy some kind of Mob boss?" Robin asked cautiously. If that were the case, the town wouldn't be considered strange. Robin would consider it dangerous.

One of the adults snickered at Robin.

"She's much bigger than the Mob, kid. Stronger, more powerful-"

"Do any of you actually know what the Mob is?" Robin questioned. Charlotte bluntly said no before the adults could defend their case.

"Okay, so this woman-" Robin looked over at Charlotte quickly.

"Is the Black Fairy a woman?" She asked quietly. Robin didn't know how codenames/nicknames worked, and didn't exactly know if the Black Fairy was a feminine title.

Charlotte nodded.

"Alright, so this Black Fairy woman is after me for some reason. Who is she?" Robin asked.

None of the adults answered, smiling that they knew something Robin didn't.

"She's the mayor of the town." All three adults had forgotten about Charlotte, and what information she knew.

"Shut up!" One of the men demanded. For some reason though, he didn't try to get near Charlotte, who was now standing right behind Robin. None of the adults pressed towards the girls. Robin was confused, considering how easily the adults could have gotten past her.

Robin didn't know what the adults' plan was. She overheard one of the adults state that they were waiting for this Black Fairy to show up. Right now it seemed like they just wanted to bully Charlotte. Teach her a lesson in a harsh, cruel way.

Robin also didn't know what her plan was. She was standing in front of Charlotte. Great. Standing there doing nothing wasn't exactly going to fix the situation.

"So, is there anything we can do against these goons?" Robin asked Charlotte. Charlotte shrugged.

"Unless you have some magic."

_Magic? Am I trapped inside of a fairy tale? _The name of the small town in Maine should have stood out to Robin more.

"I don't know anything about magic, Charlotte." Robin said.

"Aha, the kid ain't a threat!" One of the adults blurted out. "Don't know what the Black Fairy is so concerned about, thinking this kid was gonna be a threat! Must have been another kid she dealt with at the town line ages ago-"

"Shut up, nimrod!" The other man in the group punched the first man in the head.

The woman in the group rolled her eyes. She glared at Charlotte.

"This kid can't protect you, Charlotte. Pretty soon both of you will end up in the mines."

* * *

Neal and Henry ran down the road that led to the town line. They ran up to where the old town sign was that Emma had run into when she first came to StoryBrooke, seeing the group of adults in the distance.

They could see Robin standing in front of a young girl, for some reason not trying to run away from the adults.

"Do we try distracting the adults?" Neal asked Henry. Henry didn't have a response, for some reason. He stared at the stones of the old pillar he was squatting behind, noticing a bronze plaque on the backside. Two small yellow dots appeared on the surface, moving slightly. Henry looked behind him, seeing a car in the distance.

"Crap, Fiona's already here." Henry stated. He had been fearful ever since he had escaped the hospital, but the fear he was feeling now was worse than ever before. The Black Fairy was a menace on her own, with powers that could stump the Dark One. But now Henry had four adults that were against him at this point, and Neal and Robin wouldn't be able to do much.

"Separation." Henry stated. Neal was still looking behind him, looking at the car that was coming up the road. It was still pretty far down, but it wouldn't take too long for it to arrive.

"Separation? Separate the adults?" Neal questioned.

"No. I distract the mayor, you help Robin and that kid escape." Henry said.

"You really want to deal with the mayor on your own? You think she's evil!" Neal exclaimed.

"Robin can't deal with those adults by herself!" Henry countered.

But when Henry looked back at Robin, he had spoken too soon.

* * *

Charlotte was panicking behind Robin. Not in a large fashion where she was screaming or crying, trying to throw something at the bad guys so they would go away. But she held onto Robin's sweater, and the kid's hands were shaking.

Fear wasn't something Robin liked to see. It wasn't something she liked to feel. She was seeing that Charlotte was scared, but Robin wasn't feeling as fearful. At the moment, she was feeling anxious, which she thought was worse than being scared.

Robin found anxiety harder to deal with, because it was something that was generated in her head. She was becoming anxious about everything that was happening to her. But StoryBrooke made that anxiety worse. The town had changed her. She hadn't even been there for a day. But something was wrong.

Anxiety can kick in for a kid when they are in a new town because they don't know what is going on around them. Anxiety was pumping through Robin's body because she had an idea of what was going on, and it made her feel insane.

"You can't hide the truth forever, Charlotte." The woman stated. "Tell us before the Black Fairy arrives, and you won't be in as much trouble."

Fear and anxiety. They were an awful pair. Sometimes people couldn't tell them apart. Charlotte felt fear because she knew the whole picture and knew who the Black Fairy was. Robin was anxious because she didn't know the whole picture and therefore didn't have enough information to keep calm and steady.

Calm and steady. The three adults in front of Robin were calm and steady. They were bigger than the two kids in front of them. The two males just stood behind, not feeling the need to intervene. The woman in front was calm and collected, assuming that Robin couldn't do anything. All three were assuming that Robin couldn't do anything.

Wyatt had a saying for assuming. It involved a donkey.

One great thing about anxiety that worked for Robin was that there were moments where it kicked in and did the thinking for her. And anxiety decided that Robin wasn't going to wait for someone to reach forward and do anything to her or Charlotte.

Robin had a small flashlight in her backpack. Wyatt had told her to have one on her all the time, because Robin couldn't always be sure when she would get home. Quickly grabbing the flashlight, Robin shone it into the eyes of the woman in front of her, who was close enough to be affected by the beam. And the little flashlight was pretty bright.

"What the-" The woman cursed in surprise, and Robin pushed Charlotte behind the woman and around the two men. Now the two girls were on the opposite side of the road, free to run if they needed to. But Robin had dropped her flashlight.

"You're still stuck her, girl." One of the men spat. "You don't got anything else up your sleeve."

But Robin wasn't feeling as anxious anymore. The three adults she was dealing with were not the scary goons she thought they were. But she still didn't have a plan. So now she was just scared.

Thinking was a tricky task when feeling threatened. Robin was feeling scared, angry, confused about the Black Fairy, and downright dumbfounded at how stupid Neal and Henry were for wanting to break into the mayor's office.

Nothing was making sense. So therefore she felt even more confused when she heard Neal shouting and heard something hit the front of a car. She looked behind her and saw Henry throwing rocks at a car that was coming up the road towards them. She saw Neal come up beside her, and heard the goons coming behind her. She held out her hand and shone light into the eyes of one of the goons, and heard him scream. He fell away from her, which was odd. The flashlight hadn't hurt the other goon.

"Robin, what the he-" Another goon grabbed Charlotte, who desperately looked at Robin.

"Do that magic again!" Robin assumed she meant the flashlight and held out her hand once more. But when she looked at the goon, she could see her flashlight lying on the ground behind them.

Neal stepped in front of Charlotte and punched the goon in the face.

"You didn't tell me you could shoot lasers out of your hands!" Neal said.

"It's not lasers." Charlotte explained. The third goon back away from the group.

"It's magic."

Robin heard Henry swear behind them, and saw the car getting closer to the group.

"She'll deal with you properly." The female goon spat.

"There's no escaping the Black Fairy."

"Can you use more magic?" Charlotte asked Robin. But Neal looked at Robin and shook his head. He could see her anxiety starting to come back.

"She's done for right now." Neal said. He grabbed Robin's bike and pushed it in front of Robin.

"Ride back to the house with Charlotte. Henry and I can get there through the woods." He said. Robin nodded. Thankfully there was a rack on the back of the bike, and Neal put Charlotte on top of it. Robin stared at the mayor's car, waiting for it to come closer.

"She might swerve to hit us if I move now." She explained to Charlotte.

A moment later, the car was close enough for Robin to move past. On her way by, just in spite, Charlotte lifted her leg and kicked the passenger side window, shattering the glass. Robin quickly rode down the road, and Charlotte watched Henry and Neal run into the woods.

* * *

The Black Fairy stepped out of her vehicle, and stared at her broken window. The child was gone. And those two teenagers had gotten away. And Henry….

She turned her head and stared at her three goons.

"You three would be more useful as bugs." She stated, smiling wickedly. She held out her hand, and heard the three goons scream.


	12. Chapter 10: Where to Begin

Chapter Ten: Where to Begin

Neal and Henry were still in the woods thirty minutes after their encounter with the mayor. Henry didn't think about some of the changes that the Black Fairy might make with the town, but she had changed the layout of the forests that three quarters of the town was surrounded by.

"How could she change the whole town?" Henry asked himself aloud. Neal gave him a weird look, but didn't say anything.

Henry felt guilty about everything that had happened. He had decided that breaking into the mayor's office was a good idea, so as to protect Robin from the Black Fairy. Now they were dealing with an extremely blunt reveal of how bad the Black Fairy was. Henry was thinking there would be a bit of a build up in explaining the Black Fairy, but a lot had happened in the first day that Neal and Robin had been in the town.

"Henry, what would have happened to Charlotte if Robin wasn't there?" Neal asked. He and Henry hadn't really done anything to help the young girl, other than Neal punching one of the male goons in the face. Robin was the one who ended up using some lasers out of her hands to blind the goons.

"I don't really know, actually." Henry admitted. "I have some ideas, but they're based on what happened years ago."

"Something about a mine?" Neal asked cautiously. "I think that's the cave that we saw behind the mayor's office."

Henry stopped for a moment, sitting down on the ground. The main reason he was sitting was because something was stuck in his shoe, but the realization of what the Black Fairy was doing definitely caught him off guard.

"She's recreated the Dark Realm." Henry stated.

"And by 'she', you mean the Black Fairy. The mayor." Neal assumed. Henry felt a small bit of anger, assuming that Neal was still wondering if the Black Fairy was real or not. But Henry didn't know Neal.

In order for him to understand something complex, such as a math problem or an evil fairy taking over a small town in Maine, Neal would look at the different aspects of the problem and put them together. His tone threw Henry off, but Neal was being genuine. He agreed with Henry, and was happy that his instincts were proven to be correct. He hadn't liked the mayor, but he wouldn't have called her evil. Not until now.

Neal shook his head and sighed.

"Henry, the first thing I should say-"

"Is that you believe me." Henry assumed that was what Neal wanted to admit. But Neal shook his head.

"No Henry, that wasn't it. The first thing I should say is that I'm sorry." Neal said. Henry was a bit confused, since all Neal done thus far was assist Henry in every way possible. Sure, he was suspicious of Henry and the idea that the Black Fairy was actually a real person and was posing as the mayor of the weirdest town either Neal or Robin had ever heard of…

"You've been through a lot." Neal said. "You want us to believe you about the Black Fairy, and by this point I think you have us both on board. But you weren't upset or angry when Robin didn't believe you. And you were calm when I had questions."

"Thanks Neal. But to be honest, it's much more important for me to know that you believe me." Henry admitted.

"I mean, it'd be kind of hard not to at this point." Neal agreed. "We've seen what the mayor is capable of. And those goons just ended up proving your point about who the Black Fairy was." Henry nodded in agreement.  
_Alright, now I can relax a bit. Neal believes me, and Robin is probably realizing the truth-_

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO AGAINST AN EVIL FAIRY WITH MAGIC?" Neal yelled loudly.

_Okay scratch that._

* * *

The boys reached the farmhouse and sat outside on the porch. They could see Charlotte in the kitchen, sitting at the table. She was wearing the sweater Janice and Wyatt had given Robin for her birthday, and had her head down on the table. She looked like she was ready to close her eyes, but waited for the two boys to make eye contact with her.

Henry sat outside on the porch as Neal went into the house. He sat at another part of the table, and gently smiled at Charlotte.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Charlotte shrugged, and admitted that she was hungry. Neal immediately stood up and made a sandwich for the young girl. He went all out, frying up some bacon and cooking some vegetables. He created a BLT for Charlotte, and accompanied it with a cup of cold water. Charlotte thanked him, and closed her eyes. Neal wondered if she had just fallen asleep, but could hear her mumbling out a prayer. She then opened her eyes and gently began to start eating her dinner.

Henry saw a light coming down the road in front of the house, and was surprised to see Robin. She approached the house with a quick pace, and stood on the gravel driveway. Henry wanted to approach her, but could hear her crying and decided that he shouldn't.

Robin's reaction to everything that had happened made Henry feel guilty once more. She had just taken on three adults to save a young girl when her original intentions were to stop two idiots from breaking into the mayor's office. Then she got to find out how evil the mayor was and ended up using magic that she wasn't aware of having.

Henry could hear Robin take a deep breath, and she came up to the porch and stood beside Henry. She rolled her eyes and sighed when she saw Charlotte eating her sandwich.

"I'd just made her something to eat." Robin admitted. Both teenagers felt guilty about how hungry Charlotte was.

"Neal will finish what she can't." Henry teased. Neither of them stepped towards the door, and Neal was giving them a curious look from the kitchen table. Robin didn't want to talk about the incident.

"I got something from the mayor for you." Henry said. A moment passed.

Robin stepped towards the door and held it open for Henry.

"After you."

* * *

Henry gave Robin the file the moment they went inside the farmhouse. She held it in her hands, and opened the file to look at the first page.

"So this confirms my birth name and birthday." Robin said. Seeing how curious Neal was, Robin walked into the living room and laid the documents on the floor. Charlotte sat crossed legged on the couch and held Henry's storybook. Henry and Neal both sat on the floor with Robin. Neal gave himself permission to look at another one of the pages in the file.

"Apparently your birth was a dangerous situation." Neal explained.

"How? Was there something wrong with me or my mom?" Robin asked.

"The page says that the doctor was thrown against the wall, and the Dark One kidnapped-"

"Maybe I should explain this part." Henry interjected. Robin and Neal both looked over at him, while Charlotte flipped through the storybook.

"Alright, so you both were concerned about what I had to say about the Black Fairy." Henry said. Robin nodded slowly.

"I feel bad about how I handled it."

"You saved Charlotte from three henchmen and a crazy woman in a car, Robin." Neal said. "I mean sure, Charlotte was the one to knock out the passenger side window-"

"I had to kick the guards in order to escape the first time." Charlotte explained. She was reading one of the pages in the book.

"Henry I didn't believe you when you were telling the truth." Robin said. "I didn't worry about the fact that you had just woken up from a coma and your mother had left you in an underground ward. I was worried about what would happen to me and Neal."

"Which makes sense." Henry admitted, but he didn't admit it from personal experience. Sure, Emma had had trouble believing him as well, but Henry had seen everything that had happened after she had woken him up with a kiss of true love. He believed a lot of things that many people would not.

"I'm not mad, Robin." Henry promised. He then sighed.

"But you two might be mad at me when I tell you more information about your past."

Robin nodded once more, then looked over at Neal.

"Hold on, did you say our past?" She pointed between herself and Neal. Henry nodded.

"There's a reason Neal had been found in Maine when he was two years old." Henry said.

"He came from the same town you did, Robin. He was born here in StoryBrooke."

* * *

The Black Fairy was not happy. She drove her car to the auto shop and had one of the late-night mechanics fix the window. She had no choice but to walk home. But as she walked past Granny's Diner, she heard her stomach grumble and went inside the small diner.

Granny pointed at a booth where the mayor could sit.

"What would you like for a late-night meal?" Granny asked her. She was about to close the diner for the night, but knew that she couldn't say no to the mayor.

"I'll try a chicken salad sandwich, Granny." Fiona ordered. Granny had the cook whip the mayor's meal up quickly, then had him go home for the night.

"You're the second person to order that from the menu today." Granny said nonchalantly.

"Ah yes, wasn't a girl named Rebekah in the diner earlier?" Fiona questioned.

"My memory isn't what it used to be, but that girl's name was Robin, not Rebekah." Granny insisted.

Fiona was about to correct the old woman, until she thought about the young woman she saw in the tape at Mr. Gold's shop.

"How old was she?" Fiona asked. Granny gave her a concerned look.

"Around seventeen. She was here with a young man around the same age. I think his name was Neal."

"Wrap up my sandwich, Granny." Fiona demanded. Granny took the mayor's plate away.

Fiona grabbed her sandwich box and left the diner. She pulled her phone out of her purse as she walked down the street to her house.

"So it turns out that Rebekah doesn't exist." She said to the man on the other end of the phone.

"The girl I had run into at the grocery store, it was her. Robin, the offspring of that Wicked Witch."

"I know what she looks like now. I couldn't tell at the town line, she had escaped too quickly with that brat."

The man asked her a question on the other end of the line.

"Well, those three goons weren't a lot of help, they couldn't stop four children. Don't bother with punishment for them, they've already paid the price."

* * *

"Alright Henry, tell us what we need to know." Robin said. She had taken a moment before Henry was about to explain about her history in the town to go take some deep breaths in another room. She was anxious, extremely anxious. She didn't know what Henry was about to tell her, and now apparently Neal had some history in the town as well. She had gone back to the living room and sat down on the ground beside Neal.

"Okay, so why don't we start with Robin's birth first." Henry suggested.

"But I was born first." Neal commented. But he saw how impatient Robin was becoming and backed off.

"Okay Robin, so you were born on September 17th." Henry said. "Your birth was…unexpected to say the least. We didn't think you would be coming for a while."

"Was I premature?" Robin asked.

"By about seven months." Charlotte commented.

"Charlotte I was going to-" Henry stated before he saw the page Charlotte had flipped to in the book.

"Charlotte how did you know that?" Neal asked.

"It says here in the book that the Wicked Witch gave birth to a healthy baby girl on September 17th, seven months before her father was expecting her." Charlotte explained.

"Wicked Witch?" Robin asked. She went on the couch beside Charlotte and looked at the woman lying on the gurney in the hospital. Robin looked at Zelena's face.

"That's my mom?" Robin asked.

"Her name was Zelena." Henry said. "Is." He quickly corrected.

"And that's my dad." Robin had flipped to the next page, which was the same picture of her and her father that was in her baby book. The following page showed her father holding her still, with a dark- haired woman standing beside them.

"Robin Hood glanced at his beautiful little girl, with his true love Regina standing by in admiration of her niece-how come my dad had a kid with someone who wasn't his true love?" Robin demanded.

"That's a great question that maybe should be addressed later…" Henry started, but Robin asked Charlotte to flip ahead a few pages. But Henry stepped in.

"I'd rather tell you." Henry stated. "And it might be better to speak to you about it alone."

"How do you know so much about my life Henry, you weren't even alive." Robin questioned.

"I was there, Robin." Henry said. "Not when you were born, I was somewhere else. But I was alive when you were born. In fact, I am supposed to be thirty-one years old right now. But something happened when I was sixteen. Something that caused me to fall into a coma for fifteen years."

* * *

Fiona had gotten to her house, which actually belonged to Regina. She placed her purse on the kitchen table and went upstairs. She walked down the hallway and stopped in front of Henry's bedroom door.

Opening the door slightly, she looked at the young man who was asleep on Henry's bed.

The boy opened his eyes and looked out the window at the tree on the front lawn. He could hear his mother at his door, but didn't want to say anything. He barely liked speaking with her when it was daytime.

"Goodnight, Gideon."


	13. Chapter 11: Something Happened

Chapter Eleven: Something Happened Along the Way

"So you're actually fourteen years older than I am?" Robin asked. Henry nodded. "I was put into a coma by the Black Fairy, and was asleep until today."

"Almost like Sleeping Beauty." Neal commented.

"She slept for 100 years, Neal." Robin corrected. "I've been reading about that story, wondering if I should ignore the story that Mr. H had assigned me and write about Sleeping Beauty instead."

"So how come you were put in a coma, Henry?" Charlotte asked. He was surprised that she was curious about the situation.

"It's because I was helping these two get over the town line." Henry said.

"Oh right, apparently I came from here too." Neal remembered. Neal knew that Henry and Robin thought that he was acting casual about this news, but Neal was genuinely excited. But at the moment he was more concerned about Robin's history. Her mother was a wicked witch?

"Maybe you should explain what had happened before you went to the town line, Henry." Robin suggested.

"Okay, I'll start there."

"Your mother and aunt came into the sheriff station and dropped you off with my mom and step-dad. Neal was left with us as well. A little while later, I could see the Black Fairy leave Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop, and told my mom."

"So you both took us to the town line. How come?" Robin asked. She had gone back on the floor with Neal, and Charlotte sat right beside her. Henry hopped onto the couch to continue his story.

"It was a deal we had made with our family. If anything was going to happen in the town, such as an evil fairy coming back after we assumed she was dead, my mom and I would go with you two over the town line to keep you both safe."

Henry sighed.

"But I didn't get over the town line, and neither did mom."

* * *

Henry back away from Emma and Robin as the Black Fairy came closer. Neal was squirming around in his arms, reacting to Robin crying. Henry then realized that he needed to get closer, but his feet were stuck to the ground.

"I've certainly missed StoryBrooke." The Black Fairy stated calmly. He saw her smile wickedly at Robin.

"And I've certainly missed the children in the town."

Henry looked over at his mother, and saw her close her eyes.

"Mom!" He yelled. The Black Fairy looked over at Emma quickly, and Henry quietly put Neal on the ground.

"Go over the pink line, Neal." Henry said. His two-year old uncle went quickly across the town line, and looked behind him. When he didn't see Henry or Emma, he began to cry. He tried to go back over the line, but was stuck behind the barrier. _At least one kid was safe._

The Black Fairy stepped closer to Robin. But neither Henry nor the Black Fairy were aware of what Robin was now able to do.

The Black Fairy stood less than a foot away from the almost two-year old. She was about to grab Robin when the toddler screamed loudly. Two jets a magic streamed from Robin's tiny hands, blue and green in colour. The Black Fairy was pushed back and fell to the pavement farther down the road.

Henry had been pushed back as well, and hadn't realized that the magic had broken the straps of his backpack. He quickly went up to Robin and placed her over the town line beside Neal. Henry didn't go over the town line fully, scared that he wouldn't be able to get back through the barrier and help his mom.

"Good job cous. Just wait here." Henry said.

But when Henry backed away from the town line, he felt something hit his side. He had turned himself to face his mother, not having noticed the Black Fairy standing. Henry fell down to the ground, unconscious. The last thing he could remember was hearing Neal and Robin crying over the town line, the two toddlers now alone.

* * *

"I think I need to go to bed." Henry admitted. Which he thought was odd, considering that he had woken up from a fifteen-year coma only that afternoon. But his friends agreed.

"Henry and I can sleep in the living room, Robin." Neal suggested. Robin nodded, and looked at Charlotte. She was wide awake.

"It's already time for bed?" She asked. Robin looked at her watch.

"Charlotte, it's almost midnight. You should have probably been in bed by the time we got home."

"I'm usually up way later than this." Charlotte admitted. But she obliged, and stood up. As Robin and Neal pulled out the couch, which turned out to be a futon, Charlotte tugged on Henry's shirt.

"Could I look at your book before bed?" She asked. Henry smiled and nodded.

"I suggest reading the story about Snow White and Prince Charming. That one is really good." Henry said.

Charlotte shrugged. "I'm going to ask Robin to read to me, so she can choose whatever story." Charlotte said goodnight to Neal and Henry, and went up the stairs.

Before Henry could say anything to Neal or Robin, Robin gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Henry." She said. Henry returned the hug.

"Happy to help, Robin." He said. Robin said goodnight to Neal by punching him in the arm, and went upstairs after Charlotte.

"So I was born in StoryBrooke too?" Neal asked. Henry nodded.

"I still can't believe this is all real." Neal admitted.

"I know the whole thing about the encounter with the Black Fairy at the town line when you were younger is a little harder to believe-"

"Oh no, I know that is true." Neal admitted. "I've had nightmares about it, but my dad said not to worry about nightmares. But I guess that wasn't just a nightmare." Neal said.

Neal and Robin had had lots of questions for Henry, but he felt like it was his turn to ask a few.

"Neal, what are your parents like?" He asked.

"My parents are really great. I've had a good life with them." Suddenly Neal felt the whole situation hit him hard.

"I didn't come here to find out about my past, Henry. But here I am, first day in the town, and I find out that it is where I was born."

Henry nodded. But he didn't really know what to say.

"Do you have an extra tooth brush?"

* * *

Robin was surprised that Charlotte hadn't turned on any of the lights upstairs. It was pretty dark on the second floor. Turning the lights on so she didn't hurt herself, Robin went up the creaky wooden stairs and saw Charlotte kneeling against her bed, praying. When Robin came up, she opened her eyes and hopped into the bed. Robin was going to sleep in another room down the hall.

"Did you brush your teeth?" Robin asked, surprising herself with how motherly she sounded. Charlotte shook her head.

"I didn't bring my toothbrush." She admitted.

"I have and extra. And I have some clean clothes for you, too." Robin said. She saw the dirt Charlotte had on her clothes…in her hair…on her face. It was dust from rocks, or maybe even coal.

"I don't want to get your clothes dirty." Charlotte said.

"Then why don't I get a bath ready for you and you can be clean." Robin suggested. Charlotte looked nervous at first, but agreed.

Robin filled the tub with water while Charlotte brushed her teeth. Robin had brought a couple of towels with her and gave one to Charlotte, also giving her some shampoo and soap. Robin let Charlotte take care of herself while she went to her own room she was borrowing for the night and got ready for bed.

Sitting on her bed, Robin looked at the birth file Henry had stolen from Fiona's car. Remembering that she could now update her baby book, Robin grabbed it from her backpack and flipped to one of the first pages. There were two headings that said 'Mother' and 'Father'. Robin wrote down the names of her parents. Feeling curious, Robin put down her baby book and grabbed her small backpack.

She opened each of the pockets of the bag, being careful with the zippers. She was surprised to find a letter inside one of the pockets.

Opening the letter, Robin first saw an old newspaper clipping. She read the story that was on the clipping and looked at the picture. It was of her and Neal as toddlers. She was wearing the same backpack that was lying on her bed. The story explained that she and Neal had been found in the middle of one of the forests of Maine, apparently abandoned by their parents.

_I guess that story of the Black Fairy and the town line was true. _Robin had still been hesitant. Sure, she had seen what the Black Fairy could do, and apparently what she herself could do. But she didn't remember anything about the town line, which made sense because she wasn't even two when it happened.

But she and Neal had known each other before they were twelve-years old. They had met before Robin had been put in Neal's class in middle school. They had interacted before the races in their gym class that started off their friendship. Neal had been a good sport about losing, even though he still beat everyone else in the class except Robin. He had invited her over to go on a bike ride.

But Neal and Robin had been separated after they had been found near the town line. Robin knew that Neal had ended up in a foster home for three years before Wyatt and Janice had taken him in and them immediately adopted him. But Neal didn't know what had happened to Robin.

Robin didn't remember what had happened right away either. She put down the newspaper clipping and looked back at the letter. She had recognized the handwriting on the paper:

Robin,

I hope you get this before your seventeenth birthday. It's been almost ten years since I last saw you. I cannot apologize enough for what happened between us. It was all because of me, so please do not hold and blame. I don't know when I will be able to see you again, but I wanted to give you something for your birthday. And my gift to you is an old item that belongs to you, and answers that you need to have.

I attached a newspaper clipping to this letter. I was the one who found you and that boy on the isolated road in Maine. I was on my way into a town called StoryBrooke when I saw you two standing there. I didn't know why the two of you were left alone, but I took you both into the nearest town and found the police.

I wanted to take you in, Robin. I wanted to become a mother, and you needed a home. You may be wondering why I didn't take in the boy, but I couldn't Robin. I hope he found a good home, but I don't know. Don't worry about that Robin, you've probably never seen him since.

I tried my best to be a good mother, Robin. I'm so sorry that I failed. My mother was furious when she realized what had happened. She loved you so much, instantly becoming your grandmother.

I had looked through your baby book and recognized some people mentioned in it. Your father was a good man from what I had heard. Your aunt Regina was alright, but she had had a past. The woman you were named after, Emma, she is a good person to look up to.

I'm leaving my phone number with this letter, Robin. In case you ever wanted to call, to catch up. I miss you so much. Have a happy birthday.

Sincerely,

Mom

Robin didn't know how to react to the letter. But she could feel tears in her eyes, so she knew that it was making her sad. She put the letter back in her backpack and zipped up the small bag.

Charlotte had changed into some of Robin's clothes, which were far too big.

"Thank you for starting my bath." Charlotte said. She saw Robin's tears, but didn't say anything.

"You were really brave against those adults, Robin." Charlotte said. She sat down on the bed in front of Robin.

"I heard you talk against them, Charlotte. You've got guts." Robin complimented.

"Did you know those adults?"

"Sorta. They were here and there when I was working." Charlotte said.

Robin still wasn't sure of what Charlotte's work involved. She knew that it certainly wasn't legal.

"Do you want me to read you a story before bed?" Robin asked. Charlotte nodded, and ran to her bedroom. Robin followed and sat on Charlotte's bed.

"Henry recommended the story about Snow White and Prince Charming." Charlotte said. Robin nodded, and began to read the story. As she read about the Evil Queen, she recognized the woman, which was Regina. Robin hadn't really thought about why she herself had been written into a storybook alongside the story about the Evil Queen.

* * *

The next day came too soon, in Robin's opinion. Henry and Neal were willing to let her sleep in, but Charlotte wasn't. While the two boys were in the kitchen talking about a trip into the forest, Charlotte went upstairs and gently shook Robin awake.

"Good morning." Charlotte said.

"Hi Charlotte. Did you miss me that much while you slept?" Robin teased.

"Yeah." Charlotte admitted. She asked Robin if she could wear the new sports hoodie that Janice and Wyatt had bought her, and Robin said she could.

Robin went downstairs and grabbed herself a cup of water.

"You know, I wouldn't hire you two as babysitters." Robin admitted. Neal gave her a confused look, while Henry smacked his head.

"I'm sorry, Robin. We didn't know she had gone to wake you up."

"It's alright. She seems pretty attached to me." Robin admitted.

"I can't blame her." Neal said. He then started looking at the fridge, then at Robin.

"Do you want me to make us something to eat, Neal?" She asked.

"I mean, nothing too fancy." Neal said. Robin grabbed a piece of bread and threw it at his face.

"I mean, that's a simple breakfast." Henry said. Neal placed the piece of bread on Henry's head.

"I don't suppose we could go to Granny's?" Neal asked. Henry shook his head.

"Probably not the best idea. But we do need more food, especially since we have another mouth to feed." Henry said.

"What we need is to call the police and explain everything that has happened to them." Robin interjected. "Charlotte was almost kidnapped by three goons last night."

"Also, Henry was being held in an underground room, which is illegal and unethical." Neal added.

"But there isn't anyone to ask, Robin." Henry explained. "We can't leave the town."

"We were able to leave before. What's changed?" Neal asked.

"You were able to leave fifteen years ago." Henry said.

"Henry makes a point. Charlotte was pounding against something last night, and she looked like a mime. But she was right in front of the town line." Robin explained.

"She was hitting the barrier. Which means the Black Fairy put it back up." Henry concluded.

"Speaking of the Black Fairy, I don't know if this is the best place to hide anymore." Neal said.

"Can we just refer to her as the mayor for right now?" Robin asked. She was still uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"Well, she could find us pretty easily out here. We're sitting ducks. Except for Robin's laser hands."

Out of everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, that was the aspect that confused Robin the most. Part of her was hoping that she had been dreaming when she woke up. But as she sat in her bed and thought about what had happened the night before, her hands had started to warm up. It freaked her out.

"So there is nowhere we can go in town?" Robin asked. Henry nodded.

"Then we need to figure a way to get out of the town. All of us, because none of us are safe here anymore." Robin said.

"Is there anything we can use to help us get out of the town?" Neal asked Henry.

Henry remembered the crypt that Regina had made for her father's grave.

Henry, Neal and Robin had come up with a good plan. Neal and Henry would go to the crypt and look for something to help them leave the town. (Henry hadn't told Neal where they were going exactly so as not to freak him out) But then Charlotte came into the kitchen and told the thee teenagers that she needed to go somewhere.

"Where do you need to go Charlotte?" Robin asked.

"Home." Charlotte answered.

"Do you mean that cave behind the town hall?" Neal asked.

"I left all of my stuff there when I escaped." Charlotte explained. Robin came up beside Charlotte and wrapped her arm around the young girl.

"Charlotte, it isn't safe for you to go back." She said calmly.

"Yeah, there was a reason you left in the first place." Neal said. Henry pushed Neal out of the room, going into the living room with him. He had seen the little tears Charlotte had in her eyes. Charlotte wrapped her arms around Robin and started to cry.

"My friends are there, and my other clothes, and my rock collection." Charlotte said.

Robin sat Charlotte down at the table and made her some breakfast. She made sure Charlotte ate everything on her plate, which was an assortment of fruits and veggies that Robin had on hand. She also made up a sandwich for Charlotte to eat, because it was clear to Robin that she was underfed.

"Charlotte, who else is in the cave?" Robin asked.

"My friends. And some more of the mayor's goons." Charlotte answered.

"Are your friends your age?" Robin asked.

"Most of them are. But some are older, and some are younger."

"There are children younger than you in that cave?" Robin asked. Charlotte nodded.

"They've been there for a long time. I was in there for a long time. Charlotte asked if she could play outside, but Robin told her she had to brush her teeth first.

Robin went into the living room and crossed her arms. Henry was lying on the ground, while Neal was sitting beside him.

"You do really bad sit-ups, man." Neal sighed. Henry rolled his eyes and sat up.

"I think there needs to be a change in plans." Robin admitted.

"We can't go to that cave, Robin." Henry said. "If it's anything like the Dark Realm, it isn't good."

"What's the Dark Realm?" Robin asked.

"It's where the Black Fairy came from." Neal answered. "Henry showed me a picture in his book, and he makes a point, Robin. It's too dangerous."

"But we can't leave town knowing that we are leaving young children in a cave." Robin countered.

"Maybe instead of looking for a way out of town, we should be looking for a way to find my family." Henry suggested.

"And just how are we going to do that?" Neal asked.

"We still need to go the crypt and see if anything is there." Henry explained.

"Okay, but Charlotte and I are going to get more food." Robin said. Henry and Neal were right, they couldn't go to the cave behind the town hall. Besides, the mayor could see them. But they did need some more food.

* * *

Robin and Charlotte walked down the road away from the farmhouse ahead of Henry and Neal. And the boys would mostly be sticking to the woods anyways in order to get to the crypt.

"I saw a picture of you as a baby in your book." Charlotte told Robin.

"Was I cute?" Robin asked. Charlotte nodded.

"Your hair wasn't red though."

"I don't think that happened until I was a little older." Robin said. She didn't remember a time when she didn't have red hair.

"Is it nice having a mom?" Charlotte asked Robin. Robin sighed.

"To be honest Charlotte, I don't really know."

Robin didn't know what it was like to have a mother, because the one that she did have for five years didn't prove to be a good mother after all.

* * *

The woman stepped out of her car and stood on the driveway of Bill and Tina's house. There was a police car parked on the road in front of their house, and Janice and Wyatt were talking with the police and coming towards the house.

"What happened here?" The woman asked.

"The girl who lives here, Robin, is gone." Wyatt explained. "Our son Neal is gone as well. He didn't leave a note or anything."

"Could they be together right now?" The police officer asked Wyatt. The two men went aside to talk, and the woman was left alone with Janice.

"I'm sorry to hear about your son." The woman said. Janice shook her head.

"It isn't like him to act like this. Wyatt has tried calling him, but to no avail."

Bill and Tina stepped out of the house with another police officer.

"We've gone through the family computer, and came up with a map and a ticket site." The female police officer explained.

"The girl purchased two tickets to Maine."

"That probably means Neal is with her. He wouldn't let her go alone." Janice said with relief.

"Your idiot son let that girl go through with this?" Bill demanded. The woman stepped back a bit. She could tell that the man had been drinking.

"He is not an idiot." Wyatt spat back.

"He cares more about Robin that anyone else I know, except for me and Janice."

"If you two love her so much, why don't you take her? Cause it's over for me! As soon as she comes crawling back to the house, I'm calling for her worker to take her away."

Wyatt stepped forward, but the police could tell what he wanted to do. The male police officer gently pulled him to the side. Janice went up beside Tina.

"When she comes back Tina, just send her to our house. Please, we'll take her in." Janice pleaded.

Tina nodded. She knew that Bill wouldn't look after Robin anymore. And she knew that she was at a point where she had to call it quits as well.

The woman got back into her car without saying anything to Janice or the police. She pulled out the driveway, making sure to hit part of Bill's car on the way out. She knew that she had hit the right car as she saw the anger in Bill's face.

Going down the road, the woman set directions on her phone for StoryBrooke, Maine.


	14. Chapter 12: Magical Tracing

Chapter Twelve: Magical Tracing

Fiona sat in her office, having just returned from the mines behind the building. Not as many of her goons were sent into the town at that time, since Fiona didn't want other people in the town asking her questions.

But she was furious about what had happened the night before. Her car was still being repaired. Henry had escaped once again. And the girl was now aware of her own magic.

"But, Henry's family is still far away, unable to assist him in his quest. And what can three teenagers do all alone?" Fiona asked herself aloud. There was no one in the town to help them. There was no one there who would know what happened to the three teenagers after Fiona dealt with them. And though she hadn't quite figured out what to do about Robin, she knew that the Charming family tree needed to be cut.

She heard a small knock on her door. Gideon cautiously came into the room. Fiona rolled her eyes, part of her wishing that her grandson put up more of a fight. He was such a wimp by nature, though, and habits are hard to break. But thankfully, as Gideon grew up, he wasn't as hard to break.

"I finished my schoolwork for the day, mother." Gideon said. Fiona smiled at her "adopted" son.

"Good work, Gideon. Now you can help me with something else."

Gideon started to become concerned, but of course he didn't say anything. He didn't want to make his mother mad.

"What can I help you with, mother?" Gideon asked.

"There is a girl I need help finding, Gideon. I have something I want to give her." Fiona held out a brown leather cuff, identical to the one that Gideon was wearing on his wrist.

Gideon was curious to ask why someone else needed the cuff, but didn't say anything. Of course he wouldn't.

"I want you to go out into the town and look around for her. Try the forest, try the graveyard, anywhere you think she might be." Fiona ordered.

"How about the school?" Gideon suggested. It wasn't a stupid question, since he didn't know that Robin came from another town and didn't go to the local high school.

But Fiona took the moment to make her son feel stupid. She found joy in making him feel weak. One reason was out of pure evil, her mind was consumed with it. But the other reason was to make sure that Gideon didn't grow stronger. The cuff on his wrist blocked out his magic quite well. But if Gideon became strong and defied her, then one day the cuff could potentially come off, releasing magic that the mayor didn't think she could handle.

"Of course she wouldn't be there Gideon. If she were I would be going there right now!" Fiona spat. Gideon nodded quickly and left the room. Fiona noticed that he had left the cuff on the table, and called her son back into the room.

_I will pull him down another peg._

* * *

Robin and Charlotte walked around the grocery store. Charlotte would point at different food and ask if they could buy it. Robin acted like a mother and told Charlotte why some of the food would be bad to buy. Oddly enough, Charlotte didn't ask about any candies or chocolates. Robin decided to put in a box of candies in the cart that Charlotte could try later.

Most of the purchases were vegetables, fruits, and some protein. Robin didn't know what type of diet Charlotte had before now, and wanted to help her grow stronger. She was even tempted to take Charlotte to the doctor to get her examined for anything that could be wrong, but she didn't know what would happen if she went into the hospital with a child.

As they waited in the checkout line, Robin pulled out her phone and checked her messages. She had twenty missed calls from Janice, Wyatt and Tina. _Looks like they came home early._

Bracing herself, Robin decided to type in Tina's number and held her phone to her ear. But she couldn't get through to her foster parent. Robin braced herself even more and tried calling Janice and Wyatt while Charlotte paid for the food. But Robin couldn't reach Neal's parents either. Standing by a bench outside the grocery store, Robin tried texting Neal, but the message wouldn't go through. A balding man walked by her as he held his phone in the air.

"Man, what happened to my connection? What's up with the service?" _Alright, so my phone isn't the only one going through this issue._

"Can we look at that store, Robin?" Charlotte asked. Robin looked across the street at Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop.

"Do you see the mayor in there?" Robin asked. Charlotte shook her head.

"Then we can go in."

Robin and Charlotte went across the street and went inside Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. The owner smiled at Charlotte and greeted the two girls warmly.

"Good morning, girls. School on a break right now?" Mr. Gold asked.

Charlotte didn't know how to respond to Mr. Gold, but Robin smiled.

"Just came into town to get groceries." Robin answered. Charlotte walked around the store, keeping her eyes on the glass unicorn mobile that hung over one of the shelves. Robin stood back more, not really seeing anything in the store that interested her. But she knew that if Charlotte was really interested in something, she would consider buying it for her. As long as it wasn't expensive.

As Charlotte looked around the store, she noticed something that Mr. Gold was holding. She stared at it intently, grabbing Mr. Gold's attention.

"Are you interested in this piece of wood?" Mr. Gold asked. Charlotte nodded vigorously, and reached into her pocket. She pulled out two small diamond pieces and placed them on the counter in front of Mr. Gold.

"Charlotte!" Robin came up beside the young girl and instead replaced the diamonds with some cash.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gold. I can pay for the-" Robin looked at what Mr. Gold was holding and was surprised as to why Charlotte would want it. The stick seemed to look more like bark, with rough patches that could give Charlotte a splinter.

"Are you sure this is what you are wanting, Charlotte?" Mr. Gold asked. He was eying the diamonds that were hidden under the small stack of cash Robin had laid on the counter.

"Either this or that cool sword in the barrel." Charlotte pointed behind her at the sword that Robin had noticed the day before. The red jewel on at the top of the handle glowed once more as the sun reflected onto it. She didn't want to have to keep on eye on Charlotte 24/7 as she swung around a sword in the farmhouse.

Mr. Gold seemed more attached to that sword, as he put the stick in a box and handed it to Charlotte.

"How much is it, Mr. Gold?" Robin asked.

"That depends, Robin. Is it for you, or for her?" Mr. Gold asked.

"It's for Robin." Charlotte answered.

_But I don't want a stick. _Robin looked at Charlotte.

"It's supposed to be for your birthday." Charlotte explained. Robin gave her a smile, and then realized that she was paying for her own birthday present. Sighing, she looked at the amount of money left on the counter.

"The stick, or wand as I like to call it, can be given to you for the price of…" Mr. Gold held out his hand and Charlotte gave it back. Mr. Gold held it in his hand and examined it quickly, then gave it back to Charlotte.

"$10.00"

* * *

Henry and Neal stood in front of the crypt. Neal was terrified of going inside.

"I can go inside, Neal. Just wait here." Henry went inside the crypt and pushed his grandfather's stone casket aside. Underneath was a small set of stairs that led to a small chamber of magic Regina had in the town. Looking around, Henry wondered if he would be able to find anything to help his family.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Henry saw Neal come into the room as well.

"I don't like graveyards." Neal admitted. He then felt his phone go off, and saw all the missed calls from his parents.

"Oh man, they came home early." Neal panicked. He sat on a bench in the chamber and dialled his dad's number.

"Neal? Where are you?" Wyatt wasn't yelling, but Neal could hear the panic in his voice.

"Hey dad, I thought you and mom were away-" Neal started.

Janice grabbed the phone from her husband.

"Neal David Wyatt! Why are you not at home? Are you with Robin, is she safe?" Janice demanded.

"Mom, Robin and I are okay. We're uh…in Maine."

"In Maine! Why on earth are you in Maine? And why haven't you been answering your phone? We've been trying to call you for the last ten hours!"

"Ten hours?" Neal checked the time stamps on his phone.

"Mom, my phone is showing otherwise-"

"Whatever the case may be, why are you two in Maine? The police went to Robin's house, Bill has kicked her out."

"Kicked her out?" Neal swore loudly, forgetting to cover the phone so his mother wouldn't hear.

"I'm sorry Mom. But that's ridiculous. Robin was just trying to find her parents!" Neal explained.

"Find her parents? How, she didn't have any information." Janice responded.

"She was given something in the mail, and there was information about a small town in Maine."

Neal explained.

"What's it called?"

"I don't think you would believe me if I told you."

"You better tell me anyway."

Neal sighed. Henry looked away awkwardly, examining the different shelves in the chamber.

"The town is called StoryBrooke, Mom. Apparently Robin and I were found outside of the town when we were two-"

"You and Robin?" Janice asked cautiously. Neal nodded, then remembered that his mother wasn't in the room. How was he going to tell his mother about this?

"Mom, apparently I was born in StoryBrooke as well. But I'm not worried about finding out about my past, I just want to help Robin find her family-"

"Neal you need to come back home." Janice said. "This is completely irresponsible, you are still a minor and shouldn't be in a town on your own!"

"I don't know if we can come home, Mom." Neal realized that he shouldn't have said that. Henry smacked his head with his hand and turned to look at Neal.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T COME HOME?" Janice wailed. Wyatt took the phone from his wife and put it against his ear.

"Neal, why can't you come home?" Wyatt asked. Neal had put his father on speakerphone, and Henry could see why Neal loved his dad so much. The man was calm, cool and collected as he spoke with his son. Henry watched Neal calm down and answer his dad properly.

"Okay dad, I'm going to be honest. But I don't think mom should hear about it right now." Neal admitted. Wyatt understood, and the boys could hear Wyatt asking his wife if he could step out for a minute. There must have been some other people in the house as well, as Wyatt had to explain who he was talking to.

"He's alright, just needs to talk with his dad. Pipe down, I'll be back in a minute. No Tim, you can't say hi right now." Neal smiled, thinking about his same age cousin Timothy.

"Okay dad, my friend Henry is here in the room with me." Neal said.

"Hello Henry. Nice to, uh, hear you."

"Nice to hear you as well, sir." Henry replied.

"Dad, we found out that Robin was born in this town, but there have been issues getting information. And some bad stuff has been found in the town."

"What bad stuff, Neal? You have to be clear and explain it truthfully, so I don't panic like your poor mother."

"Okay dad, but a lot of it is unbelievable." Neal admitted.

"Neal, the blessings that both you and Robin have been in our lives is unbelievable. I can handle whatever you need to tell me." Neal paused, feeling his throat tighten. He just wanted to be at home with his parents. He didn't want to just talk to them on the phone.

He was then starting to wonder why his phone suddenly started working when he and Henry had entered the crypt. His parents had been trying to call him for ten hours. He was only hearing their phone calls now. Did it have something to do with magic?

"Hold on, dad." Neal said quickly. He covered his phone so his dad wouldn't hear him, and looked at Henry.

"Does our phone connection have anything to do with magic?" Neal asked curiously.

"What?" Henry asked.

"Our phones started working when we entered the crypt, and you said there was some magic down here. I haven't been able to use my phone as much elsewhere." Neal admitted.

"Okay, so maybe magic has some effect on it, what's wrong with that?" Henry asked.  
"Can the Black Fairy tamper with that magic at all?"

Henry paused, unsure of what Fiona could do. He didn't know if she could affect anything that was in the range of magical items and objects.

"I don't know, Neal." Henry answered.

"Then I don't know if I should keep telling my dad about all of this." Neal said. He didn't know if the mayor could somehow magically tap into his phone, and find out about his family. He didn't want to risk anyone being put in danger.

"You might just be paranoid about it." Henry said. Henry did have a point. Deciding to speak with his dad some more, Neal uncovered his phone.

But now Henry was feeling paranoid, and went out of the chamber. Was the Black Fairy able to track down the phones with her magic?

Henry decided to use one of his mother's books about magic. He went through one of her larger volumes, which was basically an encyclopedia for magic and how to use it properly. Looking at magical tracking, Henry read about how magical tracking worked.

"Okay, so magical tracking isn't possible right from the start." Henry summarized. "Someone who is able to use magic cannot just start to track down someone out of the blue." Henry felt a bit of relief, and kept on looking through the page.

"In order to be able to track someone, a possession of that person must be surrounded by magic to create a track for the magic user." Henry closed to the book, and took a moment to breathe. He then dashed down the stairs and into the chamber. Accidentally tackling Neal in the process, Henry turned off the call on Neal's phone.

"Dude, my dad was still on there!" Neal exclaimed.

"Turns out magical tracking is a thing." Henry admitted. He went up the stairs and brought the book down for Neal to see. But Neal was confused by what the book meant.

"Magical tracking is possible, but the Black Fairy couldn't have done it to your phone before because there was no magic near the phone." Henry explained.

"So, the mayor needs magic around something she can track in order to be able to track it." Neal said.

"Yeah, pretty much." Henry said.

"Then we better find Robin." Neal admitted.

"How come?"

"She texted me before I continued my call with dad. She said that she was having trouble with her phone, but since we are here we can receive those messages anyway. Cause magic. But anyway, she said that she and Charlotte bought something from Mr. Gold's store, and Charlotte is convinced that it is some wand that the Black Fairy had."

Henry felt his throat tighten.

"And they didn't drop the wand anywhere, or decide to return it?"

"No, Robin is holding onto it. She and Charlotte are going to head back to the house."  
"We have to find the girls and get rid of that wand!" Henry yelled. He and Neal ran up the stairs and locked the crypt behind them, running through the graveyard to find Robin and Charlotte.

* * *

Robin could feel her phone go off in her backpack, and saw the missed calls that she had from Wyatt and Janice and Tina. _Oh man, they returned home early._

Grabbing her phone out of her bag, Robin saw that her text to Neal had been sent, but he hadn't responded.

Robin was anxious to go back to the farmhouse and put the groceries in the fridge. But something was preventing her from turning around and heading in the direction of the old house. Some instinct kept her walking towards another part of the town. Charlotte followed along closely, noticing some of the Black Fairy's goons wandering about.

"They won't attack us right now, will they?" Charlotte asked quietly. Robin noticed the goons, but was able to reassure Charlotte.

"Don't worry, Charlotte. Other people would notice those thugs as soon as they started bothering us."

"Yeah, you're right. Besides, you could hit them with your magic if you wanted to."

"I guess so." Robin responded quietly.

"Shouldn't we go home and put this stuff in the fridge?" Charlotte asked. Robin nodded, but didn't want those goons following along. Walking through an alleyway between two of the buildings across from Granny's Diner, Robin and Charlotte ended up in the woods near the cemetery.

"Maybe the boys are still in the crypt." Robin wondered. She was curious to go and look, but couldn't step forward. Another instinct was taking hold, something that she wasn't used to.

Robin turned around, and thought she saw some figures walking by the other side of the alleyway. Robin handed the groceries over to Charlotte, along with her cellphone.

"Charlotte, I'm going to distract those goons. You go home and wait for the boys, okay?" Robin explained. Charlotte nodded, and went running into the graveyard. Robin could still see the figures at the other end of the alleyway, peaking in every now and then. Robin acted as if she was talking with someone else who was hidden behind one of the buildings on her end of the alleyway. After twenty minutes, Robin turned around and headed to another alleyway between the buildings. Bracing herself, she came out the other side and walked towards Granny's Diner. She could see the goons in her peripheral vision. They were peaking through the alleyway, wondering where Charlotte had gone.

_Time for a chicken salad sandwich._

* * *

Charlotte was a fast runner like Robin was. She was able to get back to the farmhouse and put the groceries inside. She locked all of the doors to the house and waited upstairs in the room she occupied, wearing Robin's hoodie and holding onto Henry's storybook. Henry didn't think that the book would be in as much danger as he and the others were.

Since Charlotte had never had a phone before, she had no idea how to use Robin's. But she pressed the buttons and was able to find one of the many games on the small device. Charlotte preoccupied herself for an hour, until she felt tired and wanted to sleep. Putting down Robin's phone, Charlotte fell asleep on the bed.

_"I don't think hitting the rocks and quieter will make the sound quieter."_

_"You're right, it just makes it a harder process to get more diamonds."_

_Charlotte rolled her eyes at her two friends, but went back to hitting the stones in front of her. She wore two thick pieces of cloth around her head to try and dampen the noise of the pickaxe. It was helping, but it would have worked best if it was only Charlotte hitting the rocks. Sadly, there were about 20 other kids in the same chamber as she was, and 100 more working at the moment in the same mine._

_The three children could hear a scream coming from a chamber far down the left side of the mine. The Black Fairy had her large main chamber there were most of the diamonds and magic was stored. One of the older miners had done something that the Black Fairy hadn't appreciated. They let Charlotte out of her cell earlier than she was supposed to be released. Charlotte felt her throat tighten with guilt._

_"I hate this place." Charlotte said aloud. Her friends looked at her, but continued to hit the rocks in front of them. Charlotte's friend Travis was working on freeing a large diamond._

_"We all do, Charlotte. But we can't do too much right now." Travis said. Mike agreed. Suddenly, the three children saw guards coming down the hallway from the Black Fairy's lair, as it was commonly referred to. Charlotte looked away from the guards, keeping her eyes on the rock in front of her._

_"Is this the kid?" One of the gruff guards asked. The man who had let Charlotte go before nodded sadly, and fell to the ground. Charlotte looked at the man on the ground behind her, who she didn't believe was just unconscious. Looking down the hallway, she could see the Black Fairy standing in the doorway of her lair, smiling wickedly at Charlotte and her friends._

_If Charlotte didn't cooperate, she wondered what would happen to Travis and Mike. Usually, the Black Fairy will target friends and family members of workers she wants to punish. Travis and Mike were basically Charlotte's brothers. _

_Charlotte sighed and was ready to put down her pickaxe and go down the hallway, but apparently Mike and Travis had a different plan. Travis reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag that was filled with magic dust. He had found some earlier on in the day and was to give to it the Black Fairy when he was done mining. Instead, he threw the bag behind the heads of the guards behind him. _

_The guards knew how important the magic was and scrambled to grab it, while the three kids ran down the hallway away from the Black Fairy. _

_There was a small escape hole near the main opening of the entire mining cave. It wasn't as noticeable, and Charlotte popped through the hole and got into the woods. However, she could hear Travis cry out from behind her back in the mine. She looked back in the hole, but watched Mike cover it up with a large rock. _

_"Get out of here, Charlotte!" Mike yelled. She then heard him scream from inside the cave, and could hear her friends being dragged away towards the Black Fairy._

_Charlotte ran into the woods and wandered towards the town line, where she saw Neal and Robin. Then she was caught and taken back to the mining cave._

Charlotte woke up and began to cry. But she didn't cry for too long, because she could hear Neal and Henry downstairs trying to open the door.

"My parents used to be thieves, Neal. They knew how to pick locks. I just need a minute."

Charlotte went down the stairs quickly and opened the door.

"Robin isn't here. She sent me home ahead of her so she could distract the goons." Charlotte explained quickly.

"Oh man, she's on her own? But it's better than her being here. Apparently the wand can track Robin's phone-"

"She left it with me." Charlotte said. She handed the phone over to Neal, who took it into his pocket.

"I'm going to go back out and find Robin." Neal said. But Henry shook his head.

"Maybe we should all go. Better than sitting here like…sitting ducks."

Neal shook his head. "Those goons are back after Charlotte, and they'll grab you too. It's better I go by myself."

"Just go for a couple of hours, and come back. We can at least switch off if we don't find Robin." Henry said.

* * *

Robin had gone back to Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. She looked right at the sword in the barrel that kept grabbing her attention whenever she went into the store.

"We do have an exchange policy." Mr. Gold said from his counter. Robin smiled, but shook her head.

She grabbed the box with the potential wand inside and placed it on the counter.

"I'm wondering about this stick." Robin admitted.

Mr. Gold looked at the wand, but didn't grab it.

"It is a wand, Robin. Designed to look like a usable one, anyway." The man admitted.

"It's funny how you don't refer to it as anything that could be magical." Mr. Gold noticed.

"Since you did pay for it, and all magic comes with a price." His tone made Robin feel uncomfortable, but that could also have been because Robin could feel her anxiety increase her heart rate.

"I mean, I don't know anything about magic, but I can't say that it isn't out there." Mr. Gold mused.

"Would you think that it could be in StoryBrooke?" Robin asked curiously.

"Doubtful. There isn't anything magical about this town."

"What about the name?"

"Coincidence, I presume." Mr. Gold said.

Robin rolled her eyes when Mr. Gold wasn't looking. She was hoping to find an adult ally who could help her and her friends out.

"The mayor was curious about you yesterday." Mr. Gold admitted. "She was wondering what you looked like."

That made Robin nervous. Which only added to her anxiety. As she put the box back in her backpack, she could have sworn she felt it move.

"The mayor doesn't know who I am. I may have been born here, but I've seemed to have kept a low profile."

"As if you were never here at all." Mr. Gold commented. "Have a goodnight, Robin Hood."


	15. Chapter 13: Let it Go and Let it Fly

Chapter Thirteen: Let it Go and Let it Fly

Neal found Robin outside of Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop.

"Why are you not at home yet?" Neal demanded. He then remembered about the wand and how the Black Fairy could track them down because of it.

"Relax Neal, I was coming home. I just had to get rid of some goons first." Robin explained. And she didn't really want to go home. She was having a good time being by herself, taking a minute to reflect. Heck, she had even read a couple of chapters from the book Mr. Gold had given her.

"I needed some time, Neal. Some time to just get a break and not feel like I was about to lose it." Robin admitted.

"Granny watched my stuff in the diner so I could go for a run. I was able to have some lunch, look over some online school work by logging into one of the computers at the library. I rested, I relaxed. And I even bought a wand." Robin pulled the box out of her bag.

"To be honest, I think it's just a stick, but Mr. Gold referred to it as a wand."

"Charlotte told us about it. It's dangerous." Neal commented.

"Yeah, I guess if you have it to close to your eye and then you trip over something-"

"Robin, it can be magically traced." Neal blurted.

_Oh man, more about magic. _Robin was hoping that she and the others had just been hallucinating the night before. Surely she didn't have any magic?

"So the Black Fairy has been able to track me because of her wand?" Robin asked. Neal nodded.

"Then how come she hasn't come for it yet? I'm apparently on her most wanted list, why not try to come take the wand away?"

"Maybe she doesn't know yet?" Neal guessed.

"Neal, it's a stick. It's nothing fancy, just looks like old bark." Robin said. She saw how worried Neal was, and asked for his phone. Calling her own phone, Robin had Charlotte hand the phone over to Henry.

"Is this stick some sort of threat?" Robin greeted. Henry asked for a photo of it, and Robin texted him one.

"Yeah, that's one of them. To be truthful, the first time the Black Fairy came to StoryBrooke she ended up getting a hold of another one." Henry said. "But she later took this one, when you two were smaller."

"Alright, so what's the big deal about it? Can it help us break out of the town?" Robin suddenly realized that none of them had considered that.

"I'm not sure. That would require some difficult spell most likely, and those books are in my mom's vault-"

"We can head over there and grab them." Neal said. "Then we can come back home."

"Better yet Neal, meet me at the crypt." Henry suggested.

"I'll know what book to look for. Besides if Robin comes back, the mayor could start tracking the wand-"

"It's a stick!" Robin said in a frustrated tone. But Neal could see the crack to open the box glow, which didn't look good. Robin put the box back in her bag.

"Henry, it's getting dark. You want us to wander through a graveyard to a crypt?" Robin demanded.

"Uh just Neal." Henry said. He knew where a certain tombstone was in the graveyard, and didn't want Robin to see it. Not yet.

"Where do I go?" Robin asked.

"How about the town line to see if your magic will work?" Charlotte suggested. The kid had a lot of faith in Robin, which is something she didn't have in herself.

"Where is Charlotte going to go?" Robin asked. Henry suggested that she could stay home, but both Robin and Neal shut that idea down.

"No way. Besides, the Black Fairy could track Robin's phone because it was near the wand earlier when she had it. And it was beside that storybook you have."

"Okay, so I'll come down with Charlotte and we'll look for the right book. Robin, you could wander around town and find a present that you want for your birthday."

"Honestly Henry, all I want is to go home."

* * *

The mayor had left her wand in Mr. Gold's shop on purpose. She had retrieved it in order to get rid of all the heroes of course, but then it wasn't needed as much. Also, she was worried that Henry could wake up, or that one of those pathetic heroes could come back and find the wand if it was in her office or the mining cave. So Fiona traded the wand in to Mr. Gold's shop. Well, a trade didn't actually take place. She gifted it to Mr. Gold, who decided that it was pretty valuable and that he wasn't wanting to sell it.

Therefore, Fiona cursed in anger in her office when she saw that the wand was gone. Another surveillance video was requested by the mayor since two of her goons saw Robin and that brat who escaped the mines go into the store. When they were inside the goons didn't try to go near them because they had known who Mr. Gold really was. And Rumpelstiltskin was not a man to be trifled with.

When looking over the tape in her office, Fiona saw that her wand was not where it usually was. If an item was kept at the back of Mr. Gold's shop, it was never moved from there. Usually his most valuable items were kept in the back. Therefore if it was no longer there, Mr. Gold no longer saw the value in the wand, and most likely sold it. Fiona was surprised at how many magical trinkets and objects had been sold to the townsfolk over the years. But since her magic was well controlled and rarely used, none of the objects could cause any harm. But now that another magic user was in the town…

Fiona pulled out her cellphone and called her main henchmen.

"Go throughout the town and find any magical items you can. Take them to the mining cave and hide them. We don't want any more escape artists."

"So the wand is no longer safe?" The man asked.

"Apparently Mr. Gold didn't find any worth in the wand and sold it to that girl!" Fiona admitted with a frustrated tone that was equal to Robin's.

"Well, those brats are back in town. Can you not just track down the girl and get the wand back?" The man asked.

"There's the problem." Fiona spat. She ordered the man to locate the other three, who she could actually find quite easily. Henry had been correct in that the Black Fairy could track Neal's phone. It was surrounded by magic, which acted as a homing beacon for the mayor.

But Robin was more frustrating. She couldn't be tracked. Something blocked the Black Fairy from locating her, which had made the past day an ever so boring routine of regularly checking in with her henchmen and hearing what they had seen. Most of them were quite useless and were sent back to the mines as punishment. Some were so worthless that they didn't even get sent back to the mines. Their punishment was far worse.

So yes, Robin Hood was protected. But the Black Fairy smiled, because her three friends were not so lucky.

* * *

Even though Robin was well protected with her magic, Henry was clever and had more experience. He had been wondering why the Black Fairy hadn't stopped by and paid Robin a visit. But his main focus was keeping Neal and Charlotte undetected, because in Henry's books they were just as much of a nuisance to the mayor as Robin and he were.

Neal had broken Henry out of jail after having only arrived in the town two hours earlier, and he hadn't needed any magic. Charlotte had broken out of the mining cave not once, but twice, and she was only nine.

And since Henry had been a thorn in the Black Fairy's side for a while now, he knew that the three of them would be just as wanted by her. Not for something they possessed, but just so that they would stay out of the way.

Henry told Neal to leave his phone somewhere in the town. Neal begrudgingly obliged. He hid his phone in an alleyway, and Henry wondered what would happen to the three of them if they were caught.

Charlotte had escaped the mining cave twice already, so Henry knew that the Black Fairy wouldn't be as lenient. But would she be willing to kill a child? Henry didn't actually know what happened to those kids in the cave. He doubted that the Black Fairy would go that far, but she would certainly do something horrible.

Henry glanced at Neal, and knew that he would probably survive. Sure, he would find himself being tortured and humiliated beyond belief. But the Black Fairy would most likely throw him in the mines, and maybe after a few years, give or take, allow an "accident" to take place.

Meanwhile, Henry knew what would happen to him. He had already interfered with the Black Fairy's original plan back in the day, and helped end her run as mayor. Now he was wide awake and helping to stop her once more. Also, Henry was a Charming, which didn't sit well in the Black Fairy's book. He was also her great-grandson, but to be honest Henry thought that was probably more annoying that useful.

Henry had seen too much and done too much to survive if he were caught. He may have been sent to wherever the rest of his family was, but Henry didn't know if they were still….

Robin was the one that Henry had no idea about. He wondered why he pondered about what could happen, since it was a subject that was rather depressing. But he wasn't too focused on anything else as he and the other two walked to the graveyard.

The Black Fairy had met Robin when she was a baby, having actually held her to antagonize Zelena. Then she met Robin as a toddler, and seemed amused with the idea of making her and Neal mine workers. But after Robin fought back, not once but now twice, Henry didn't know what the Black Fairy would do. He was sure that she would take Robin's magic, but he didn't know if that would cause Robin's end, or merely weaken her to such a degree that she couldn't do anything else.

There was too little on Henry's mind at that moment. He needed to think about something else.

"When is Robin going to find out about her dad?" Charlotte asked.

_Not the subject I was wanting to think about._

* * *

Robin walked down past the sheriff's office, and was tempted to go inside. But she didn't feel like breaking and entering. She had already broken a law by helping Henry escape the hospital.

Robin was actually hoping that Charlotte could hang out with her while the boys were busy, but that wasn't the case. Henry was still worried about the wand and didn't want to risk Charlotte.

So Robin walked past different stores and noticed some nice items. She looked at the different bike models in the bike shop and visited the animal shelter.

But she was lonely. Solitude had been good earlier in the day, but it was dark out now. And she didn't have a safe way of reaching Neal, because Henry was so worried about her phone being traced. Robin didn't know that they hadn't even gotten to the crypt yet.

* * *

"What do you mean, Charlotte?" Henry asked through gritted teeth. Neal had walked ahead and was looking at different gravestones he walked by. He had passed by the gravestone that belonged to Robin's dad.

"We both know that he's dead. Robin should know too." Charlotte protested. Henry sighed.

"You don't think I don't know that? But think about it Charlotte; Robin's magic is finally visible again, after fifteen years. How stable will it be when she realizes that her family is missing and that her father is dead?" Henry asked.

"Shouldn't that be a risk you're willing to take? Think about the secrets kept in your family."

"Robin is my family. And so is Neal. I don't want Robin to be hurt."  
"It doesn't matter because either way, whether we tell her now or wait till later, she'll be hurt. You knew and didn't say anything. I just found out and want to tell her the truth."

"She will know. She'll know about everything. But I want to know where the rest of our family is before I tell her that her dad died protecting my mom." Henry admitted.

Charlotte paused, and sighed as well.

"Okay, that does make sense. But she won't be happy about it."

"I'm not happy about it either. But I want to know the fate of our family first before giving her more information." Henry said.

Neal waited outside of the crypt, and Henry looked down at his watch. It was pretty late, but he and Charlotte went inside the crypt while Neal waited outside.

A few minutes passed, and Neal could hear other voices. Not knowing what to do, Neal hurried inside the crypt, and saw something odd. A bow and sheath of arrows was in the corner of the room, and Neal decided to borrow them.

"The guy won't mind, he's dead." Neal reasoned. Grabbing both items, Neal went back outside, and saw a group of men standing on the path. One of them was looking at a gravestone beside the path, which was the one that Henry and Charlotte had been arguing about earlier. The man pointed it out to one of the others.

"That's the kid's father, nimrod. She isn't dead. Not yet at least."  
"Yeah, alright. But this kid might be by the time we're finished with him."

Neal looked back at the crypt, and sighed. It was obvious that there were other people inside. Neal wouldn't be guarding a closed crypt, whereas this one was wide open.

"Henry, can you just pick a book already!"

Neal hadn't used a bow in a long time. When he went to summer camp a few years back, he was given a quick lesson or two by the counsellors. He wasn't a bad shot, just took a couple of tries to get it right. But for some reason, Neal was the most determined.

He had ended up going to a sports and recreation camp that his dad had worked at years before. Neal was an alright athlete and one of the best in his class, but the camp was a different experience. He was lousy compared to everyone else. His self esteem plummeted, but the counsellors could see he was struggling and helped him out.

The other kids had two turns at shooting, but Neal had an unlimited amount. The other kids didn't notice too much because they were busy competing against one another. But not Neal. He was focused on those two afternoons where he could just shoot at a target.

The counsellors tried to give him advice about aiming for the bullseye, but Neal didn't like it. One counsellor said to imagine his worst enemy standing in front of it, but that wasn't Neal's style. Neal focused on the fact that he really enjoyed shooting, and somehow knew that it was something he would get better at.

When camp ended, Neal had told his parents about shooting and how he was getting better at archery. But there was nowhere for Neal to go to enhance the skill, and he didn't want to try hunting. So Neal never went back to shooting.

Now he had three goons to deal with. His immediate instinct was to shoot at them, but Neal wasn't wanting to hurt anyone. The bow and arrows felt more like props, like a distraction in a way. To be honest, Neal didn't know if he could handle these guys.

_Would they follow me if I left the crypt? _Neal didn't think they would, because Henry and Charlotte were still inside. Besides, the guys would probably just split up. So there was no point to that plan.

It was darker out now, around nine o'clock at night. The three goons stepped closer to the crypt, but didn't feel like coming further. Maybe they knew what was inside?

"Look kid, to be honest, we don't want to mess with you. The Black Fairy doesn't need you, she just wants you outta the way. So why don't you do that, and make it easier for all of us." The main goon suggested.

Neal shook his head automatically. "How about I don't listen to an old hag of a fairy and you three just get lost? That'd make it easier for me." Neal retorted. He wouldn't have called the mayor old if Henry hadn't shown him one of the stories in his book. Man, that lady was ancient!

"What's in it for you three anyway?" Neal asked. "I heard that mining cave is a terrible place to be found."

"It's all we know." One of the goons admitted. Neal felt sympathy for the guy, seeing how he felt about the whole situation himself. But he sneered at Neal anyway.

"Why don't you join us, and see it for yourself?"

"I'm good." Neal responded.

The main goon sighed.

"C'mon kid, we know you don't have any magic of your own-"

"How do you know that?" Charlotte popped up behind Neal, and he almost shot one of his arrows.

"He's a product of True Love too, he could have magic of his own." Charlotte defended.

"You know who my parents are?" Neal croaked.

"Why do you think you like the story of Snow White so much?" Charlotte questioned.

"CHARLOTTE!" Neal heard Henry from inside the crypt.

"We were working on getting to that part!"

"Man you tell these two nothing!" Charlotte complained.

"He don't got any magic, kid. But the Black Fairy does, and wait until you see what she has planned for you, you filthy little-"

One of Neal's arrows was launched from his bow, and hit the man straight in the mouth. But instead of piercing him, the arrow glowed and floated in front of the man's face. It coiled around his head and covered his mouth, silencing him.

Neal's immediate reaction was to look around and see if Robin was there. She wasn't. The Black Fairy? Not in sight. Even Henry was innocent of this action as he came up the stairs out of the crypt.

"Told you." Charlotte teased. The three goons ran away.

Neal dropped his bow, closing his eyes. He didn't know what had happened, and was scared to think about it. Henry looked over at Charlotte who mouthed a couple of words to him.

_Look at his hands._

Sure enough, Neal's hands were glowing, and Henry realized that he had now had two magical users to worry about.

Speaking of which….

"Is that really how late it is? We need to get to Robin!"

* * *

Neal went to the small nursery in the farmhouse and sat, closing the door. Henry tried calling Robin, but couldn't get a hold of her.

"Maybe Neal's magic would do the trick and give us a boost?" Charlotte asked. Henry shook his head. Of course it would work, but he didn't want to bother Neal at the moment.

"We have to go out and look for her." Charlotte nodded.

"And by we I mean me. Keep and eye on Neal, I'll go find my cousin."

* * *

Fiona knew that something was different. But that was even before her goons had told her. Closing her eyes, she imagined her magic appearing in her hand. A black sphere of magic appeared. She then thought about Robin's magic, which she had come into contact with when she visited the town line. But there was something new. She was powerful and was able to pick up on this new magic quickly. Closing her eyes once more, she thought about this new magic, and opened her eyes. A red and orange sphere appeared in her hand.

Robin wasn't the only one she had to worry about now. After she had heard from the three goons that Neal had scared off, she order them to go to find him. But since Neal had left his phone in an alleyway, Fiona didn't know that the boy couldn't be reached. But as Fiona sat in her office, she decided to take a stroll, wondering if she would run into anyone she had been looking for.

* * *

"Why would it appear all of a sudden, Neal?" Charlotte asked him quietly. She had drawn him out of the nursery and made him some food. Neal shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"I still don't think it was me." He admitted.

"But I saw you. Just like I had seen Robin do it yesterday." Charlotte protested. "And I'm not blind Neal. You believed what you saw with Robin. She would believe if she saw what you did."

"But that's the thing Charlotte, I don't believe it happened because of how it happened." Neal explained.

"I had never felt like that before. But when I had that bow and those arrows, I felt strength."

Charlotte paused for a moment, thinking she had the answer in her own mind.

"You need to get back to shooting."

* * *

Somehow, Robin didn't feel very brave carrying a wand in her hand. She didn't even know why she was holding onto it, to be honest. A car drove by on the road as Robin walked. She was walking down the main street of StoryBrooke, looking at the wand. It was made of two pieces that must have been glued together, the rough bark sticking out in her head. Robin had expected a wand that was like Harry Potter's, something cool looking. This wand looked like a piece of scrap bark that ended up in the camp fire's at Neal's cottage in the summer.

Throwing the wand into her backpack, Robin looked at the time on her phone. It was almost ten o'clock, why wasn't she home yet? Something about what Mr. Gold had been telling her was bugging Robin.

Scratch that. Everything was bugging Robin. She was in a strange town with her best friend, walking down the main street at night with nothing but an old stick to protect her.

But seriously, it was as if Mr. Gold knew that Robin hadn't stayed in StoryBrooke after she was born. She left a couple of years later, but how did he know that?

Stopping in front of Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop, Robin looked at her reflection in the mirror. Would she be able to find her parents here? Would they want to be found? As Robin stared at her reflection, she noticed the swan on her token. She didn't even know if the necklace really belonged to her.

"It's a bit cold to be wandering around outside, Robin." Robin noticed someone behind her in the window. Turning around, Robin looked at Mayor Fiona. The mayor was eying Robin's backpack, and Robin could swear she felt something move inside it.

"It still feels like late summer." Robin answered back, not moving away from the window. She didn't feel like moving any closer to the mayor. Something felt wrong. Scratch that. Everything felt wrong. It was different from when she had first met the mayor a day ago. And that made sense, considering everything that had happened since they met. When Robin had first met the mayor, she felt guilty and anxious because of how she had helped Henry. But now it was different. Now she could see what Henry was scared of. The mayor looked evil.

The mayor gave Robin a smile, but it didn't seem genuine. She had a forced demeanor, as if she was trying to remain patient. Robin wondered how long it would take before her patience would disappear.

"I can give you a ride home, Robin." Fiona offered.

"I don't want to leave a young girl alone at night."

Robin started to feel uncomfortable. She remembered what Wyatt and Janice had been teaching her about safety, since her guardians hadn't bothered to brush Robin up on the subject. Wyatt and Janice had warned Robin not to go into someone's vehicle that she didn't trust. Robin had no reason to trust Fiona. The mayor hadn't made it obvious that she could be trusted, and all Robin had to do was ask how Henry felt about his adoptive mother to get a firm answer.

"That's alright, mayor Fiona." Robin dismissed, now starting to walk down the street. She was so tempted to start running. She bet that Jack would have been impressed with her time, since she would practically sprint all the way home in order to get there quicker. She even had on her running shoes.

"I'll be home soon. Goodnight." Robin wondered if she should have turned away from the mayor. Wyatt and Janice had warned Robin of something else along those lines, which were probably that she shouldn't turn away too quickly. In the midst of the moment Robin had forgot.

Robin could hear the mayor sigh and suddenly felt herself lifted off her feet. She exclaimed in fear, and felt something leave her hand, then heard a window shatter. She fell onto her back and was looking up at the night sky. The moon was a crescent shape that evening, bright in the sky. Fiona stepped forward and knelt above Robin.

"Trust me dearie, I insist."


	16. Chapter 14: An Anxious Attack

Chapter Fourteen: An Anxious Attack

The mayor clucked her tongue as she looked at Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop. Robin had accidentally broken one of the front windows of the store.

"That magic is a bit too much for you, isn't it dearie?" The mayor asked Robin. Robin tried sitting up, but was being held down by the mayor's…magic? The mayor wasn't actually touching Robin, and there wasn't any other explanation for why she was glued to the ground.

"It's alright, it's just a sign that you shouldn't have magic." Fiona teased. She stood up and looked at Robin's backpack.

"I'm hoping to get my wand back, now." The mayor said.

"Pretty sure I bought it this afternoon." Robin retorted. In response, the mayor rolled her eyes…and Robin was hanging ten feet in the air.

"That was a terrible answer, Robin. You should be smarter than that." The mayor commented.

"However, I did believe you in the grocery store when you gave me a different name. Rebekah is a lovely name, but not yours, I'm afraid. Granny sort of spilt the beans on that one."

Robin tried to muster up some magic, but couldn't. The only magic she had on her was the wand in her backpack. She could feel it leaning against her back, and felt it shake in her bag.

"It doesn't belong to you Robin. And that wand won't do you any good. Now give it here." The mayor demanded.

_What choice do I really have in this matter? _Robin didn't know how to fight back, not really convinced that she could. The mayor slowly let Robin lower towards the ground, and now she was hanging a few inches off of the concrete. The mayor came behind Robin and began to open her backpack.

However, the next part wasn't something Robin had considered part of her plan. The mayor and Robin were about the same height, though Robin was a bit taller since she was hanging in the air still. Robin's heel was in perfect alignment with the shin of the mayor's leg…

"Now we're reunited." The mayor zipped up Robin's backpack and stood in front of Robin. Robin was lowered a little more, but still couldn't fully place her feet comfortably on the ground.

"This town is not what it used to be, Robin. It isn't your home anymore." Fiona explained.

"That isn't news to me. You caused that fifteen years ago." Robin spat.

"Ah, you're aware of my position in the town other than being its mayor. Well since I've relieved you of a burden you've been carrying, why don't you help me relieve one of mine." The mayor suggested.

"Henry is right, dearie. I am the Black Fairy."

"Wow, it is such a relief to get that off my chest. I feel so much, lighter." The Black Fairy teased wickedly.

Though Robin was still about an inch taller than the Black Fairy as she hung in the air, she felt smaller than a child. Henry had explained about the Black Fairy, and Robin's anxiety had increased. Perhaps it wasn't fully because of the notion that an evil fairy existed in a town and that fairy tales were actually true. Sure, that caused quite a bit of anxiety, but it was the Black Fairy that caused the most. The idea that she was real. The fact was, the Black Fairy was real. She caused anxiety in Robin from when she was a toddler.

So, while the mayor felt relieved to have admitted her identity, Robin felt anxiety fill her chest.

The Black Fairy noticed Robin's change in demeanor, and tilted her head.

"Feeling a bit anxious, dearie? I can see why, you have no where to go."

Robin's heart was beating heavily in her chest, and she realized that it was beating loudly. The mayor gave her a look, and smiled wickedly.

"I see that you seem to have another burden on your chest, Robin. Would you like some help relieving it?"

Henry had only told Neal about what the Evil Queen used to do to her enemies in the Enchanted Forest regarding their hearts. Neal actually threw up when he heard about it, and asked if the Black Fairy could do the same thing. Henry said that she could, but Robin wasn't aware of that.

The Black Fairy's hand came near Robin's chest….and Robin's instincts kicked in. Her idea from earlier came back to her mind, and Robin kicked at the Black Fairy's shin, quickly kicking her right leg and then her left. The Black Fairy yelled and cursed, and Robin grabbed hold of her jacket. She pulled herself and the mayor to the ground. Robin grabbed the wand from the mayor's hand and ran down one of the alleyways.

* * *

Robin's heart was hurting, and that surprised her. As she ran behind the stores towards the forest, Robin wasn't expecting any pain. She had sprinted before, and long-distance running wasn't a joke to her body. It was more of a routine.

_Why was her hand near my chest? _Robin felt so much anxiety that she was having a hard time breathing as she ran. Usually running was what jolted her system and kicked the anxiety out. But this time was odd.

"Robin!" Robin recognized Henry's voice and looked behind her. Henry was riding up on the bicycle from the house.

Henry parked the bike and came up beside his cousin, who kept on walking.

"We've got to get over the town line, Henry." Robin said. Henry saw some tears in her eyes. He already knew that the Black Fairy was behind them, because he had seen her car on the main street.

"Her hand was near my chest-"

"She was going to take your heart." Henry blurted out. Robin stopped, and stared at Henry.

"What?" She demanded.

"The mayor, the Black Fairy…Fiona…she was going to take out your heart."

"From my chest?" Robin asked. Henry nodded.

_How's that anxiety doing in my chest right now? Oh, worse when I've been told that an evil fairy was planning on ripping out my heart? Okay, now I think the panic is necessary and therefore appropriate._

Henry looked at Robin, and saw her begin to tremble. In her hands, little wisps of magic were appearing, both blue and green. Robin's feet crossed for a moment because she wasn't sure where to move.

Henry grabbed Robin's arm and continued walking where Robin had been headed before. He wasn't rough, but held on. He wasn't used to this.

* * *

The Black Fairy was standing beside her car, fuming. Her shins were hurting. Robin hadn't used any magic to stop her.

The wand was now gone. Not the Black Fairy's only wand, but one that she hadn't used in the longest time. The other wand sat in her office. Grabbing her phone, the mayor dialed her head minion.

"Go to my office and bring me my wand." Hanging up the line, the mayor took a deep breath, and held out her hand. She could trace where her wand was going, which was towards the town line.

"We're not trying to repeat history, are we dearie?"

* * *

"You know the Black Fairy is probably going to track the wand, right?" Henry mentioned. Robin nodded, then stopped.

_I didn't think about that._

"Maybe some magic could cover up the wand?" Robin asked. Henry shook his head.

"Your magic won't be able to."

"Henry, I feel so hopeless…" Robin sat down on the ground, letting the wand rest beside her crossed legs. Henry sat beside her.

"I know this is really scary, Robin, but we have to save the town." Henry pleaded. Robin clasped her head in her hands.

"I don't know how to stop her. And the fact is, I don't know if it is possible."

"Why was she wanting to take my heart?" Robin asked.

"Can you first explain to me why we are headed towards the town line?" Henry responded.

"I think the ripping-out-my-heart-from-my-chest dilemma should be dealt with first."

"I mean we are running away from the Black Fairy but also further away from the house…"

"Henry she almost pulled my heart out of my chest I need some explanation!"

"Okay!" Henry responded.

"It's a villainous technique used from the Enchanted Forest. I mean, that's where I first saw it. It's a way to control someone. It's a scary threat, because if someone doesn't do what a villain wants, they can crush a person's heart."

"Oh my gosh…" Robin moved away from Henry for a moment and threw up.

_Huh. Neal had the same reaction._

"While you're throwing up, I'll give a bit more explanation for how that is possible." Henry stated. Robin stuck up her thumb.

"So the heart can work outside of the body, and can be manipulated. If someone has your heart, they can speak to it, and cause the owner to say that as well." Robin continued to throw up.

"But its worse for someone who has magic. It's mostly a threat at that point, because someone holding your heart can't make you use your powers against your will…"

"But they will threaten your life." Robin guessed.

"Now can you tell me why we are going to the town line?" Henry asked.

"I don't know. I feel safer being closer to the outside world. Did you find something in the crypt that could undo the spell on the town line and open it up again?"

"We can try a few things I guess." Henry admitted. Robin handed Henry her phone so he could call Charlotte. She then ducked into the woods while holding the Black Fairy's wand, and closed her eyes.

She needed some time alone to panic.

* * *

"Hey Charlotte! I found Robin, don't worry. Where is Neal? Really, you convinced him to practice? Um, I'm sure we can fix that hole- how big did you say it was? Okay, Robin and I are heading to the town line, we want you to come meet us here. I don't think she wants to leave, but she wants to see if she can open it now. Yeah, she still has the wand… but there was a run in with the Black Fairy. And then she almost lost her heart…yep, you know what I mean. Robin had the same reaction as Neal. Anyway, come down and meet us here. Bye."

Henry told Robin that they should keep walking, and Robin walked through the woods parallel to Henry walking on the road. She needed some space.

_Oh man, how am I going to get us through this? _There were no adults around to help Henry and his friends out. Now Henry felt like he needed to panic.

Finally, Henry and Robin reached the town line, although the pink line on the concrete had disappeared.

But as Henry levelled his eyesight to looking out beyond what would be the magic shield's end, he saw a car parked out on the road. A woman sat in her car, looking straight ahead. Henry didn't recognize her, but couldn't see her properly. Maybe one of Neal's parents or Robin's guardians?

"Let go of me!" Henry turned around and saw Robin tumble out of the woods. A young man around her age cuffed something onto Robin's wrist.

"No!" Henry cried out. Henry recognized the leather cuff because it was something that had been used on his family members before. It blocks the person from using their magic. However, the boy who had cuffed Robin had one on his wrist as well.

Robin kicked the boy in the groin and stood up, trying to pry the cuff off of her wrist.

"It won't come off, we need magic." Henry said.

"He was in the woods behind me and I was crying and didn't hear him. He has the wand!" Robin explained. Henry saw the young man point the wand at him. The young man had darker brown hair and was smaller than Henry was in weight.

"Gideon." Henry said aloud. The boy stared at him. There were only two toddlers who were able to get across the town line fifteen years prior. One toddler was with his parents when the Black Fairy came back.

"I needed to retrieve my mother's wand." Gideon explained. "And she wanted that girl to have a gift."

"You tackled me in the forest to give me a wrist cuff." Robin spat. She wanted to use her magic, but it was as if there was a block between her hands and wrists. The magic wouldn't come out.

"The Black Fairy has blocked your magic as well?" Henry asked aloud. Gideon gave him a confused expression.

"I've worn this cuff since I was seven years old." Gideon explained.

"I haven't used magic before."

"Maybe you did, once upon a time." Henry countered. "Or the Black Fairy was trying to be proactive."

"Whatever the case may be, she wanted to make sure that girl had one as well." Gideon spat.

"I go by Robin."

"Pleasure to meet you, Robin."

"Yeah I can't say the same."  
Henry looked behind him and saw the woman step out of the vehicle, and recognized her. She was a friend of Emma's from when she was around Henry's age. She also happened to be the daughter of Maleficent.

_How on earth did she get here? And when did she leave the town in the first place?_

"Mother knows that you two have reached the town line. She wants her wand back. And to continue her chat with Robin." Gideon explained.

Henry was scared that Robin might break down, but surprisingly she stood taller. Henry thought that some bravery had kicked in, but it was more of a realization of the situation that put Robin's brain into gear. Gideon couldn't use magic either, which meant that he was just standing with a stick in his hand.

"You're not scary, Gideon." Robin said.

"Neither of us can use magic, which means that all you are holding is a stick."

Gideon stared at Robin, and smiled.

"You really think that you could take me down?"

* * *

"Why did Henry have to take the bike?" Neal complained as he and Charlotte jogged down the road. Neal was not the biggest fan of running, but Charlotte apparently needed the exercise. She was basically sprinting compared to Neal's pace.

But as the pair ran through the woods, Charlotte heard someone cry in the distance, and was ready to change direction. But Neal knew where they were and grabbed Charlotte before she could do so.

"It's alright, I'm here." Neal comforted. Neal wasn't sure if Charlotte was going to run towards the cry or back to the house. But either direction would have been away from the town line.

Charlotte nodded, and asked if Neal could give her a piggyback ride.

_Of course, why not? I mean hey, you run a lot faster than I do and this will only slow down my pace, but sure, be my guest._

Neal let Charlotte climb onto his back and asked her to hold his bow and arrows. Charlotte obliged and leaned her head against Neal's shoulder. Neal felt a brotherly connection to Charlotte, and promised that no matter what happened, he would make sure that she got a good home in the end. Of course, he didn't say this out loud.

Neal and Charlotte got to the town line, and didn't know what they were seeing. There was a woman standing beside her car outside of the town line, and Henry was looking at Robin punching a young man. The pair were wearing identical cuffs on their wrist and Neal had no idea why.

However, Charlotte noticed the wand lying on the ground and ran towards it. Charlotte grabbed it quickly and gave the young man a kick to the leg, which surprised him.

"I hate you!" Charlotte screamed. Robin didn't know that Charlotte knew Gideon and quickly pushed the boy aside before Charlotte could give him another kick.

Neal notched an arrow in his bow and pointed it at the boy.

"I suggest that you don't try to pick a fight with the girls." He suggested. Robin gave Neal a surprised look, not seeing him as someone who would threaten another person with a weapon.

"Your magic is pathetic compared to mother's." Gideon spat.

Neal rolled his eyes and decided to mock the boy.

"Well I'll be darned. But the wicked witch isn't exactly present at the moment, is she? Besides, I recognize that cuff on your wrist!"

"You do?" Robin asked.

"Nope, but I know that Charlotte does!"

"It blocks off his magic, he can't use any." Charlotte quickly explained. Neal nodded his thanks to the girl.

Henry came up beside Neal.

"Neal, he's Rumpelstiltskin's son. My dad's brother." Henry explained.

"Your dad had a brother?" Neal asked.

"Yeah, but Neal never met him-"

"Yeah I've never met this guy before."

"No my father Neal! That's who you were named after."

"Really? So I shouldn't be threatening this guy?"

"He just got pulverized by Robin, I don't think he needs to lose any more dignity."

"Okay." Neal quickly unlatched his arrow and took the wand from Charlotte, pointing it at Gideon while standing in what he assumed was a defensive stance, like the ones he saw in Harry Potter films. But to the others, Neal looked like his legs were spread too far apart and he was going to fall over.

"Oh yeah, that's dignifying." Robin commented.

"Why are you fighting the Black Fairy?" Gideon demanded.

"She's in charge, and rules this town. She is powerful and cannot be dealt with."

"She's in charge because she took over." Henry responded.

"She took your parents from you Gideon, and separated us from our families."

"Also she kinda sucks, and we don't like her." Neal added. Robin rolled her eyes.

_This is all getting to his head._

"I doubt you'll be able to stop her. She didn't go after you two over the town line way back when for a reason. You two were no threat."

"Or she couldn't get across because she sucks!"

"Neal I don't think that's doing the trick of making him intimidated."

Neal changed his stance as he pointed the wand at Gideon, but he hoped that the others weren't waiting for him to use some magic. He could only use magic when he was using a bow and arrows.

"Why don't we get out of here." Neal said.

"Gideon might just follow us." Charlotte pointed out.

"I could shoot an arrow at him."

"Neal!" Robin yelled.

"No Robin not to kill him! You didn't see what I could do with a bow and arrows-"

"Maybe shooting one at Robin could take the cuff off of her wrist." Charlotte suggested.

"Wait a minute-"

"Guys the Black Fairy could literally come find us because we are all standing out here in the open!" Henry yelled.

"She'll find us anywhere in this town, Henry, maybe we could try opening the town line-"

"And that requires magic!" Neal and Charlotte said. Neal handed Charlotte the wand and pointed an arrow at Robin's wrist. Surprisingly, Henry helped out by holding Robin's arm out for a better shot.

"Henry! Neal! Charlotte!" Robin exclaimed.

"Robin I wouldn't do this unless I knew that this would work!" Neal said.

"I've never seen you use magic!"

"Oh like you have any right to say that! You literally started shooting lasers out of your hands yesterday!"

"Maybe you make a fair point-"

Neal released the arrow, and Robin watched the arrow hit her cuff and wrap around the leather. The magic was red and broke the cuff underneath the arrow. Gideon's mouth dropped open as he stared at Robin's wrist.

Charlotte gave Robin the wand and Robin looked at Henry.

"What spell am I supposed to use?" She asked. Henry opened his backpack and started looking for a spell.

"Try whatever comes to your head, maybe your magic will spark something-"

"Bibbidi Bobbidi Ba Bam!" Robin exclaimed.

_That wasn't what I had in mind._

Henry was starting to become anxious, but he saw the magic shield around the town line dissolve. Before Gideon could do anything else, Robin shot some magic from the wand at him, and he fell onto the ground.

"Nice shot Robin!" Neal yelled. Robin nodded, and saw the car on the other side of the town line. A woman was sitting inside.

"Oh yeah, that's Lily, she was a friend of my mom's-" Henry was explaining.

"Yeah that's great Henry but I suggest we get going." Neal said. He and Robin ran into the woods away from the road. Henry quickly waved at the woman in the car and then ran with the others.

"Do you have a plan of where we are running to Neal?" Robin asked.

"I have a crazy idea right now, but I don't want to explain it." Neal admitted.

"Cause it's crazy?"

"No, because you'll hate it."

"Great."


	17. Chapter 15: Operation Hide and Seek

Chapter Fifteen: Operation Hide and Seek

Neal and the others sat near the mining cave. Neal held Charlotte with his arm, trying to comfort her…and keep her from running into the cave.

"I see why I might hate your plan." Robin admitted. Neal glared at his friend.

"It's not the smartest idea…but it is also a smart idea."

"Cause that's logical." Henry said.

"We can hide out in the cave for a bit." Neal admitted, but Charlotte shook her head.

"It's not a good idea, Neal." Charlotte apologized. "We'll be trapped inside."

"The Black Fairy has to know about the farmhouse at this point in the game. We don't have anywhere else to hide."

"We could go across the line." Henry said. But he didn't want to, because he didn't know if the others would come back.

"That's also an option." Neal admitted.

"But why the mining cave?" Robin asked.

"I mean we'd be hiding right under her nose. It'd be the last place she'd think of looking through."

"There's a good point." Henry pointed out.

"But after a few hours, I'm sure that the Black Fairy will realize what we did. And isn't there magic in that cave?" Robin questioned. Charlotte nodded.

"Magical fairy dust." Charlotte explained.

"The magic dust can be used to make magical objects, open portals, and that sort of stuff."

"Is it unlimited?" Neal asked. "Maybe the Black Fairy is close to running out?"

"Afraid not. Magic can regenerate. It'll keep coming."

"Hence the mining operation." Robin spat. Charlotte agreed with Robin, and literally spat on the ground.

"Is entering the mine a go then?" Neal asked. Robin didn't answer.

"I have a bad feeling that we'll be caught."

"But Charlotte's been in there before." Neal said.

"I don't want her to go back in." Robin answered.

"I doubt any of us do."

"The mining cave has magic, though. And there are other people trapped in there." Neal argued. Robin looked at the distant town line and saw the car go across it. _I don't want to see if I'm right…_

"Okay. Besides, I want a break from the Black Fairy." Robin admitted. Neal pondered this for a moment.

"I doubt that this will be the type of break that you were expecting…"

"But one that I need. As does the Black Fairy." Robin announced.

"What break does she need?" Henry asked.

"A break from all the power that she has. Literal power. Like the stuff that she can shoot out of her hands. And this wand." Robin looked at the wand. It still looked like an old piece of tree bark.

"We could also hide the wand in the cave, since it would be covered up by all the other magic in there."

"Another good point."

"Is entering the mine a go then?" Neal asked once more.

"At this point I think it is…"

"Excellent point!" Neal exclaimed.

"Not what I meant."

"Oh I'm sorry but my idea is finally working out as something we are gonna do. Sue me."

"Do you think the mayor will sue us for trespassing?" Henry joked.

"Nah, we're with Charlotte. The mayor will just see her as a good worker bringing more into this line of work."

"Is the interview process hard?" Neal asked. Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"I guess the third time is a charm for a permanent escape from this hell hole." She sighed.

* * *

So, going into the mine cave was going ahead as planned. Though to be honest, Neal didn't have a specific plan. He wanted to get in there, and eventually leave. Henry was more thorough with the plans that he created over the years. Neal needed a few tips.

"So what's the name of this plan?" Henry asked Neal.

"Time in the Mine." Neal said.

"That sounds like some sort of memoir." Robin admitted.

"It could use some work." Charlotte said.

"How about something like Operation Cobra?" Henry suggested. Neal shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Cause it sounds stupid."

"Well, your stance against Gideon with the Black Fairy's wand was stupid."

"Well I think your great-grandma is stupid."

"I couldn't agree with you more!" Henry said.

"Why don't the two of you think of a name together?" Charlotte suggested.

"I think that's a terrible idea." Neal said, pretending to be annoyed as he crossed his arms and looked away. "I came up with the whole idea."

"No offense Neal, but the idea wasn't exactly "genius"." Robin confessed.

"And Henry has made plans before. Besides, the grim name you had could ruin the mood we're going for."

Neal rolled his eyes.

"What would be the proper mood for breaking into the Black Fairy's mining cave and causing mischief and earning the title of delinquents?" He questioned.

"I guess cheery isn't the mood we're going for." Henry said.

"Nah, we're going for a tone that ninjas would use."

"Operation Sneak and Peek?"

"That's not a bad one." Robin said.

"Or Operation Hide and Seek." Charlotte said.

"That's even better than mine." Henry admitted.

* * *

The mining cave had a small entrance. There were some torches lit near the front, and there weren't any guards.

"They'll be inside." Charlotte told Robin.

"Right when we go in?" Robin asked.

"Sort of. There's probably somewhere we can duck down, but there's a higher level that they could be guarding from."

"Alright. Why don't we go in and duck in one of the corners?" Robin suggested.

"We'll have to go for the left corner." Charlotte said.

Henry looked at his watch. It was around midnight.

"If we waited until one o'clock in the morning, would that make a difference in the amount of guards?" Henry asked.

"If we wait until 12:15, the guards will have more reason to assume that we were out searching for those "delinquents" that the Black Fairy is after." Charlotte said.

The group waited for fifteen minutes, and watched a few of the goons that the Black Fairy had sent out go back into the cave. Robin didn't recognize any of the goons as those that she had run into before.

"Do you recognize any of those goons as ones we have run into?" Robin asked. Charlotte shook her head.

"I mean I recognize them, but they aren't people you would know. You don't want to fail the Black Fairy. It doesn't end well."

Another two minutes passed, and Robin decided that the group would go in. Robin had an extra pair of pants in her backpack, and had a plan for Charlotte. Robin gave Charlotte her hoodie and had Charlotte wear her extra pair of pants. Robin then went into the mining cave by herself, shaking slightly. A few of the goons were saying hello to a guard going down one of the hallways, but they didn't stick around. Robin hid behind a rock, and Neal entered with Henry and Charlotte. Charlotte was carried in between Neal and Henry and they were going to pretend that she had hurt her leg so that they needed to carry her. But Neal saw no one around, and sighed.

Neal and Henry carried Charlotte over to Robin.

"What's the next step, Charlotte?" Neal asked.

"Well, that depends on Robin's plan."

"What plan did Robin have?" Neal questioned.

"The idea was to somehow get the workers in here over the town line." Robin said. Surprisingly, Charlotte shook her head.

"They won't be used to it, Robin. They won't go. And they didn't come from your world." She explained.

"So Robin's plan was dumb?" Neal asked.

"The idea is great. But the connection with the town line is not necessary or helpful." Henry said.

"And the Black Fairy will close the town line again anyway, most likely."

"So Robin's other plan for opening the town line was dumb too?"

"I don't know how sensitive you are being about all of this, but my original plan was a good one!" Robin exclaimed.

"I mean Mr. H provided the key for your original plan." Neal admitted.

"Who the heck is Mr. H?" Henry asked.

"He's our English teacher, and Robin really doesn't like him for the fairy tale assignment he gave her. But he marked out StoryBrooke on a map in my Geography class."

"How on earth would he know about StoryBrooke?" Henry asked.

"The only way you know about StoryBrooke is when you come from StoryBrooke or have been here before."

"He'd probably like it here. He seems to really have a thing for fairy tales." Neal said.

"Except for Robin Hood. But that's probably just to annoy Robin."  
"How long do we plan on staying in this cave for, Neal?" Robin asked. Neal shrugged.

"Maybe a day."

"I don't know if we should be in here." Robin said.

"We really shouldn't." Charlotte said.

"Where does everyone sleep, Charlotte?" Henry asked.

"There's an area over in that hallway for the men, and another hallway set up for the women." Charlotte explained.

"That's the main area for mining over there, and way down that hallway is where the Black Fairy has her lair."

"Doesn't sound as scary considering how evil we already know she is." Neal said.

"There's a large vault where the Black Fairy dust is kept. And jewels and gold."

"Alright Neal, any more specifications for your plan, anything else we need to do?" Robin asked.

"Well…"

"I have an idea that'll annoy the Black Fairy, but I think we'll need one of the books from the crypt." Robin said.

"Depends on what your plan is. Does it have a good name?" Henry asked.

"I'll explain the plan, and you come up with a name. Deal?"

"Works for me."

"What is the plan?" Charlotte asked.

"It's simple, but also complicated." Robin said.

"Cause that makes sense." Neal commented.

"Alright, I say that we make a portal with the Black Fairy dust and get the workers out of here."

"That's ambitious." Neal said.

"Operation Ambitious?"

"Shut up, Henry."

* * *

"The real question is, can it be done?" Robin asked. Henry nodded.

"A portal can be made, but I've never seen people use Black Fairy dust for portal making." Henry said.

"Although, that's most likely what the Black Fairy used to get here seventeen years ago. Along with draining my mother of her life." Robin's throat tightened.

"I'm sure we can make a portal besides doing that."

"How much dust would we need?" Charlotte asked.

"At least two cups." Neal answered.

"First thing we should do is try and blend in. Or at least hide." Robin said.

Neal looked at the rock that the four of them were hiding behind, which wasn't very large. He glanced over at Henry.

"This rock ain't big enough for the two of us." He said in a corny accent, then pushed Henry out from behind the rock. "Henry and I will go somewhere else to hide. But I'll move another rock over here to hide you two."

"So we're trapped in between some rocks?" Robin asked. Neal smiled and rolled over another large stone.

"I'm sorry that I'm worrying you, Robin." Charlotte said quietly. Robin hugged Charlotte.

"You're the least of my worries, Charlotte. At least behaviour and action wise." Robin said.

"But I don't want you to get hurt. I guess I mean end up back here."

"Not gonna lie, it is scary here." Charlotte said.

"I agree. But you're a tough kid. And smarter than those goons we've faced."

"But I'm scared of your plan." Charlotte admitted.

"Do you think it's a bad plan?" Robin asked.

"I'm just worried about what attention it will bring. The children who work here will be thrilled, but the adults will be worried about the Black Fairy."

"I can't blame them." Robin said.

"But I don't know a lot about her."

"Have you read through Henry's storybook?" Charlotte asked.

"Not really. But I didn't want to think about the Black Fairy because I thought Henry was insane."

"Could Henry have the book with him?" Charlotte asked.

"Definitely. It's apparently really valuable to him." Robin said.

Quickly poking out from behind the rock by standing up, Charlotte figured out where Neal and Henry were hiding. Neal was grabbing some mining clothes that he had seen nearby. He spotted Charlotte and made a face at her.

Charlotte made a book motion with her hands, and Neal looked at where Henry was hiding behind the rock. Knowing that he needed to be subtle, Neal stood in place, and threw the clothes at Henry.

Henry was tempted to curse at Neal, but poked his head up from behind the rock. Neal pointed at Charlotte, who continued to make the book motion with her hands.

"I didn't know what she was saying." Neal said. Henry slapped his head with his hand.

"She wants my storybook." Henry said quietly. He pulled the book from his backpack and gave it to Neal.

Neal tiptoed over to Charlotte, and gave her the book. She quickly motioned that she wanted a hug, and Neal obliged. Neal then tiptoed back to his rock with Henry.

"You're probably terrible at charades." Henry said.

"Again, shut up Henry."


End file.
